Posts made in July 2021

Why Do I Feel Tired Throughout the Day?

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Why Do I Feel Tired Throughout the Day?

Do you often feel like you are overly tired throughout the day? There could be several reasons for this, and you need to make sure that you address them so you can get the rest that you need. While it is natural to get a little tired towards the end of the day, it is not natural to feel tired throughout the entire day. Here are some of the reasons why you might feel a little too tired throughout the day.

Lack of Sleep

The most obvious reason as to why you might feel a little too tired throughout the day is that you had a bad night’s sleep the night before. Fatigue and sleep deprivation can hit us harder than we might imagine. You might think that you have managed to get enough sleep, but the reality is that you are not getting a good quality of rest, and this will contribute to your overall exhaustion.

We need to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.
The recommendation of 8 hours is a good starting point, but some people need a little more, others a little less. It is better to work out how much you need and go from there.
You should also look at the quality of your sleep. If you feel like you toss and turn all night or that you can lie for hours awake in the dark, you are going to feel the effects later. Taking steps to improve your sleep, possibly with the help of a sleep science app or some changes to your evening routine, could make all the difference in how tired you feel throughout the day. Get a better night’s sleep overall, and you should wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the new day.

Not Enough Food

We need food to power our days. If you feel like you are overly tired, it might be because you are not consuming enough calories to keep moving forward. After all, a calorie is a unit of energy. You need to make sure that you are eating enough to have the energy to do whatever your day needs from you.

Different people will require different amounts of food. As a rule, men usually need to eat more calories than women to feel full and able to take on their goals. However, there are some who might need a little more still. If you have a particularly physical job, such as if you are in the emergency services or an athlete of some sort, you will often find that you need to eat more so you have the energy to be able to complete the tasks that you might have to undertake each day. Starting the day with a good breakfast and then continuing with other meals and snacks should provide you with the energy that you need to get through your day.
The Right Quality of Food
Eating enough food is only half the equation here – you also need to make sure that you are eating the right quality of food too. There are certain foods that will be better for you nutritionally and will help to deliver energy to your body in just the right way.

Let’s go back to the idea of a good breakfast to start your day with. You need to pick something that is packed with energy that will be released slowly throughout the morning, especially if you know that you are not going to be able to eat again until much later in the day. For this reason, oats are a great option. You could have a good bowl of porridge, or you could try making overnight oats.

Both are fantastic options that will break your fast and should provide you with energy throughout the day.
Try to avoid junk food and anything with too much sugar. Sugary foods are good in a pinch if you need something that is going to pick you up and get you through the next little bit. However, too much sugar could cause a crash a little while later and could leave you feeling worse than before. Try to stick to food that is of a good nutritional value – it will be much better for you throughout the day. Foods that are high in tryptophan, such as turkey and cheese, may also cause fatigue after eating. This is because it helps serotonin, a neurotransmitter that induces sleep.

Too Much Time with Screens

You might spend all of your time at work glued to a computer monitor, only to browse social media for your entire commute home, then to sit down in front of the TV all evening. This will result in too much time on your screens and could lead to eye strain and other issues.

If your eyes are a little bit strained, you could very well feel like you are tired because of it. It might be a good idea to invest in some eyedrops and practice a few little exercises to help your eyes refocus and calm a little if you can’t step back from the screens.

You should also try to cut down on your screen usage as much as you can. If you stare at your phone during a commute on public transport, consider swapping this out for a podcast or audiobook. You won’t be severing your connection to your phone entirely, but you won’t be looking at the screen. These patterns can also be extended at home. Instead of watching your favorite TV show all evening, think about reading a book or trying some other activity that does not involve a screen.

An Underlying Medical Issue

Of course, it is worth mentioning that you might have a yet undiagnosed medical condition that could be causing your fatigue. While there are many different ones, one of the most common is anemia, usually caused by a lack of iron.

If you feel like you have tried some of the points above and still feel like you are overly tired and fatigued throughout the day, you should think about speaking to your doctor.

They might be able to give you a blood test to find out if you do have some sort of underlying medical condition that could be affecting your energy levels. Even if you are sleeping poorly, they might be able to refer you to a sleep clinic or some other trial where you could get the help you need.

Take Steps to Improve Your Days Now

While it is normal to wake up feeling a little groggy and disorientated, it is not normal for that feeling to continue throughout the day. You need to make sure that you address any issue that might stop you from enjoying your days to the fullest. Make sure that you get the rest you need so you can push forward and take on whatever your day has in store for you to the best of your abilities.

It could be a really simple fix, like the need for a higher quality of food, or it could be something that needs a little more work on your part.

However, you should take the time to address any concerns you might have. Before you know it, you could be getting out of bed fully energized and ready to take on the day!

Lakou Mizik and Joseph Ray x Leave The Bones

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Few albums manage to evoke a time and place with such startling effect as the unlikely collaboration Leave the Bones (out August 6), between the multi-generational Haitian band Lakou Mizik and Grammy-winning electronic music artist Joseph Ray. Following its first two singles, the album has already garnered support from NPR, BBC Radio 3, KCRW, KEXP, CRACK, Afropunk, Songlines, and many more.

Since 2002, German deep house legend Henrik Schwarz has straddled the worlds of electronic, classical and jazz. A key figure in the rise of the iconic Innervisions label alongside Dixon and Âme, Henrik is a renowned producer and live performer. He has delivered cult remixes for Stevie Wonder & Omar, Coldcut, London Grammar and Carl Craig, as well as scoring a ballet in collaboration with Berghain.

Schwarz now makes his debut on Anjunadeep with this remix of Lakou Mizik & Joseph Ray’s ‘Lamizè Pa Dous’, taken from their upcoming album ‘Leave the Bones’. Schwarz builds on the original melancholic tones via a jazzy chord progression and a dissonant hard-hitting hook. Melancholic and evocative, ‘Lamizè Pa Dous’ focuses on one woman’s search for support and meaning. Singing the words “misery is not sweet”, she is pleading with her friends, her community, and the angels to help her get to a better place. Beautiful yet brutally sad, the eventual lyrics “Bondyè rele’m m prale” signal that it is too much and she has given up – “God is calling me and I’m going to go.” The remix is the second of the Leave the Bones album campaign, which lands on August 6.

“Haiti” is a word that conjures up a lot of images – it is a country judged by many, most of whom have never set foot on its shores. But its history is rich, its people proud and defiant, and nowhere is that more evident than in its music. Culture is what defines the country – its drums and Vaksins (horns) are symbols of freedom and pride, liberty and struggle, and the joy of dancing.

Leave the Bones paints a musical portrait, a fresh glimpse of an oft misrepresented country. Through Vodou chants, chest-pounding Rara dance tunes and contemporary protest songs, the record conveys the listener to Haiti’s spiritual heart, a place that remains a compelling mystery for foreigners and a source of pride for every Haitian.

Since its inception Lakou Mizik has sought to re-define people’s conceptions of Haiti through its music. The nine piece band, formed in 2010, is emblematic of the melting pot that is Haiti’s musical culture. Lakou’s figurehead, Sanba Zao, one of only ten original Sanba poets left, played a central role in Haiti’s Rasin (roots) movement of the 1980s which sought to re-imagine traditional Haitian Vodou music through radical experimentation with modern instruments. This spirit of Haiti’s rich musical history underpins Lakou Mizik today; a multi-generational genre-blending ensemble that plays traditional Haitian music with a punk energy and a deep sense of their heritage.

Joseph Ray, a Grammy winner and founding member of the pioneering Platinum selling electronic music trio, NERO, had never heard of Lakou when he arrived in Haiti in 2015, having volunteered to teach a course at Haiti’s only music production and audio engineering school, the Artist’s Institute. Ray stumbled on Lakou at a tiny beach side club in Jakmel; the scene that night was frenetic and ecstatic, evocative of the spirit of Ray’s early electronic music clubbing experiences. The band’s organic power entranced Ray, who saw the possibility of merging his cinematic electronic production style with Lakou’s own traditional dance rhythms. Their subsequent six year journey led to Leave the Bones, teaching Ray more about himself and music than any other period in his life.

Ray had initially wanted to sample the band, and overlay them on traditional 4×4 electronic beats, but he realized this approach would not evoke the spirit he was so captivated by. Lakou’s organic style needed more room to stretch and breathe, and the album became far more collaborative and deeper in scope. Ray was forced to rethink his approach, learning how to produce and engineer for a nine piece band. He incorporated new time signatures to capture Lakou’s complex drum patterns, lacing in 1930s field recordings from ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax and replacing synth sounds with Mbrias and conch shell samples that he stretched.

By way of preview, Leave the Bones weaves us through the euphoric swagger of No Rival! and the the mystical underworld of Bade Zile (Under the Island), yet offers lessons for the living, reminding us we should not underestimate those who seem easy to walk upon on Zeb Atè (Grass of the Earth), and that we are all one people, Nou Tout Se Moun.

Leave the Bones is a record that sounds like it could come from nowhere else, and while its rhythms undoubtedly possess a universal danceability, their meaning and depth are also unique to Haiti. It’s powerful to imagine these tracks being played on dancefloors in Miami, London or Ibiza, transporting people from around the world, inviting them to dance, celebrate and get lost in the richness of Haiti, if only for a moment.

Saint Rien Releases Visuals for Why2

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Saint Rien drops highly anticipated visuals for new age hit single, Why 2.

Saint Rien’s solo career is steadily climbing thanks to a handful of hip pop tunes released since the start of 2021. Tell The Truth and Like You were the first two singles laying down a solid foundation for what was coming next.

Today, Saint Rien is releasing the much-awaited visuals for his latest hit, Why2. Highlighting his catchy yet soft vocals while spellbinding us with unexpected changes halfway through the song, the rising artist’s Why2 is once again displaying the acute intuition and vision of his creative spirit.

The music video is written, directed, and produced by Saint Rien, and features his actual partner, Stephanie Flockhart, captured in the clip as his lover. The couple appears on screen in a bed floating over diverse backgrounds. Saint is wide awake while the girl sleeps soundly. The sea, cosmos, or city streets all scroll behind the flying bed, creating a magical atmosphere in which the couple finds themselves isolated from the world.
Why2 is a song that sees Saint share a moment of his life when, despite having everything he could ask for and more, the demons inside his mind tormented him all night.

About this time in his life, Saint shares: “Even when you seemingly have it all, the perfect person to share your life with, a single thought can torment you. Anxiety follows you through every up and down in your life but no one entertains the option that you might not be okay if you ‘should be.’”

Born in Australia and currently residing in Los Angeles, Saint Rien is a former frontman and key songwriter of the Australian Post-Hardcore sensation Storm the Sky. He has now switched lanes and embarked on a blossoming solo career that’s only just getting started.

Watch visuals for ‘Why2’ by Saint Rien HERE

Jessie J × Billy Porter – I Want Love

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Today, GRAMMY Award-nominated multi-platinum pop superstar Jessie J joins forces with GRAMMY, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning Billy Porter to release I Want Love (twocolors Remix) via LAVA/Republic Records.

I Want Love sets the stage for Jessie J’s anxiously awaited fifth full-length album, coming later this year, co-written with and executive produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning mega-producer Ryan Tedder, who has also worked with music legends such as Beyoncé and Adele.

“The post-pandemic dance-track boom is real, and it’s rarely sounded as massive as on Jessie J’s return single I Want Love.” – MTV

“At long last, vocal powerhouse Jessie J returns.” – Billboard

“Jessie J’s I Want Love Is A Candidate for Big Gay Song of the Summer.” – Towleroad

ABOUT JESSIE J

Jessie J, born Jessie Ellen Cornish, is an English singer/songwriter raised in London. She, like her collaborator Porter, began her career singing in the theatre. She appeared on the West End at age 11 in the musical Whistle Down The Road, before shifting toward pop music and R&B as she got older. She became very popular in her 20s with smash hits like Price Tag, Flash Light, Do It Like A Dude, and Domino – the latter of which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. 2012 saw Jessie J reach a higher echelon of success when she performed for the Queen of England at her Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace, or when she performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She has since appeared as a coach on the television series, The Voice, as well as its counterparts The Voice UK, The Voice Australia, and The Voice Kids UK. After releasing her last album, R.O.S.E., in 2018, Jessie J finally returns to the scene with a surefire hit I Want Love (twocolors remix) featuring Billy Porter.

ABOUT BILLIE PORTER

Billy Porter is an American actor, singer, director, and style icon. The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama graduate became famous while working on Broadway before embarking on a solo career as an actor and singer. Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for performing as Lola in Kinky Boots, for which he was also awarded the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. He later won a Golden Globe for starring in the hit television series, Pose, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He was the first openly gay Black man to be nominated for and win an acting category at the Primetime Emmy’s. In 2020, Porter was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

Exercises to Tone Every Inch of Your Body

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When people talk about exercising, they usually picture themselves at the gym working out on those fancy cardio machines, but exercising does not only require to that.

Nowadays, it is easier to get fit in the comfort of your own home. If you do not know where to start, visit https://www.northernfitness.ca/ website for more info.

Where do we start? What exercises are most popular for working out and toning your body? Experts recommend exercises and workouts with varying levels of difficulty, according to your body fitness level. Adding a twist or weights will increase the difficulty of the exercise and working out your muscles much more effectively.

In this article, we will go through some of the most popular types of exercises that you can do in your home, requiring limited space and simple movements. Let’s delve deeper and find out more!

One of the most popular exercises–which we have all known since school–is doing push-ups. This is one of the most difficult exercises that can be done without using any equipment. Push-ups engage multiple groups of muscles with each repetition. Luckily for us, there are a lot of variations that are a lot easier to do!

Another popular exercise that does not require any type of equipment is lunges. Lunges target the lower body area and are a lot easier to do than push-ups. This exercise requires you to stand in an upright position, take a step forward with your right leg, and bend it.

Usually, people do three sets of ten to twelve lunges on each leg.

Since we are talking about exercises that target your lower body, we can’t skip squats. This type of exercise targets the largest muscle group in the human body, so it is very intense and effective when it comes to toning.

Start by sitting in an upright position, with your feet positioned wider than shoulder-width apart. Then, bend your knees and slowly lower down. While doing so, make sure that your knees do not go too forward. Finally, return to the initial position. That’s the right way to do squats!

Now, let’s talk about plank. As simple as this exercise sounds, it is a super-effective way to target core strength and increase stamina.

What do you have to do? First, sit in a push-up position with your hands and toes touching the ground. While keeping your core engaged, maintain this position as long as possible. That’s about it!

If you find yourself bored of these exercises, maybe you should start looking for free workout routines available on streaming platforms. Why not try something more diverse? Maybe something that involves circuit training could be a more effective and fun option to you!

If you feel like your body is ready to increase the difficulty of the exercise, consider increasing the number of reps for each set or even adding more weight. Sometimes, professional trainers add a twist or a turn to exercises, to make it a more difficult.

Another effective way to spice up your routine is to go from several reps-based routines to a time-based routine. That means you will be switching from counting the sets to instead making more repetitions in a preset amount of time.

All in all, we could not feel any happier about seeing this increased need for physical activity and increasing awareness about the importance of working out. In the long term, exercising has a positive effect on both your body and mind.

Studies have shown how having a regular exercise routine can reduce stress, depression, and anxiety by up to 85 percent. Working out is also correlated with an increased level of self-esteem, which results in a balanced healthy lifestyle.

If you are tired of sitting at your desk and working yourself to exhaustion, spice up your life with workouts in the comfort of your own home! After all, you know what they say–mens sana in corpore sano– a healthy mind and a healthy body to rule them all!

Brazillian artist Munir Hossn shares new album – Vientre

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Brazillian artist Munir Hossn, an esteemed producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, shares his latest full-length album Vientre today via Jammcard Records. The brand new catalogue of tracks celebrates women across the globe, in dedication to the artist’s late mother, who unfortunately passed recently in the spring of 2021. To make the album, Munir teamed up with a cast entirely of female musicians and singers.

Vientre is a compelling new collection that evokes every emotion through the lens of various bonds that Munir has made with important women throughout his life’s journey. Amongst the most impactful, Vientre seeks to embody the strongest relationship that a human can experience, which is the relationship between a mother and a child.

Hossn shares, “The idea of making an album with and dedicated to all women became a necessity, a very special story full of mixed emotions.

As the son of a very young mother who was still discovering how to enjoy life, I spent much of my childhood with my aunts, cousins, grandmothers, teachers; great women who taught me what today is for me, the most valuable lesson in my existence: to have love towards others, towards nature and towards life itself.

While my mother was away for different reasons, I would miss her; and through her absence I learned the importance of the female figure in our lives. After having spent more than twenty years traveling the world without seeing her, the memories and all my thoughts about that relationship, which I had held from another point of view, were transformed into a set of songs that have helped me to rebuild the most beautiful parts of this story.

Throughout my life I have met incredible female instrumentalists who identified with what I was looking for in that production and tribute: Naile Sosa, a Cuban drummer who brings in her rhythm to the full heritage of Mother Africa. Luca Fumero on piano and Rita Payes on trombone, both born in Barcelona and two young and virtuous instrumentalists who represent in the album the baroque and the playful of European music. And finally, Natascha Rogers, a percussionist born in Belgium, daughter of an English mother and a Native American father, a mixture that made her a strong woman, with the colors and sounds of nature.

As I offer all my energy and dedication through this album, my wish for you is that you feel in each melody the strength and greatness of that being who, in addition to giving us life, teaches us the origin of the feeling called love.

I dedicate this album to all the women of our planet and especially to my mother who left us on the morning of 05/10/2021. May she rest in peace and may my music always make her smile.”

Born in Brazil, Munir’s mixture between Africans, Europeans, Arabians, and Brazilian-indigenous people make him one of the most original and authentic artists of his country and the world. Just by listening to his compositions and arrangements, listeners can imagine how vast and great his journey has been through the variety of different countries and cultures.

Along with his solo compositions, Munir has also collaborated, produced, and shared projects with artists like Quincy Jones, Joe Zawinul Syndicate, Didier Lockwood, Paco Sery, Concha Buika, The Global Gumbo All Stars feat. Alfredo Rodriguez, Hermeto Pascoal, Richard Bona, Roberto Mendes, Jorge Pardo, and many more.

Vientre is the premiere addition to an already astounding index of music that represents the many colors of musical flavors from around the globe, but it also may be the most personal and intimate offering yet from Munir Hossn. For all those looking to reconnect after a year of distractions and isolation, this album is meant to reflect and heal through a universal pulse.

Connect With Munir Hossn:

Instagram: @Munirhossn

Facebook: @Munirhossn

Twitter: @Munirhossn

Website

Spotify

Apple Music

About Jammcard Records:

Jammcard records is an artist friendly label by jammcard. Here to support and amplify artists without tying them down.

Flora Cash shares new single – Chronically Beautiful

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RIAA platinum-certified indie-pop duo Flora Cash has today unveiled a tender and reflective new single. “Chronically Beautiful” is available now via the Swedish/American band’s own Flower Money Records at all DSPs and streaming services.

“’Chronically Beautiful’ was sparked when we were having a conversation about what it means to be beautiful,” says Flora Cash, “especially when looked at through the lens of real love. It’s not an acute, momentary perception; it’s the feeling that the person you love; the person that you waited your whole life for has a beauty that transcends any given moment and isn’t dependent on what they happen to be wearing or how their face looks that day or week or month; they’re chronically beautiful.”

Listen to “Chronically Beautiful”

“Chronically Beautiful” marks the latest new music from Flora Cash following the arrival earlier this year of the poignant new single, “Soul Mate,” available now for streaming and download. Now boasting more than 2.5M worldwide streams thus far, the track is joined by an equally powerful official music video streaming now here.

Listen To “Soul Mate”

Watch “Soul Mate”

Flora Cash was born in 2012 when Minneapolis-native Cole Randall uploaded his music to Soundcloud and caught the attention of Sweden-based Shpresa Lleshaj. The pair soon began playing music together, forming a relationship that would eventually blossom into marriage. A series of independent releases were followed by an acclaimed seven-song mini-LP, Can Summer Love Last Forever?, in March 2016. Flora Cash’s full-length debut album, Nothing Lasts Forever (And It’s Fine), arrived the following year, highlighted by the global smash single, “You’re Somebody Else.” First released in 2017, the RIAA platinum-certified single has proven a true viral phenomenon, currently boasting over 250M worldwide streams while ranking as one of Shazam’s Most Shazamed Alternative Songs in both 2019 and 2020. Hailed by Forbes as “arguably the most intriguing song on the radio this past year,” “You’re Somebody Else” was equally popular at multi-format outlets nationwide, reaching #1 at Alternative and Triple-A while also ascending to the top 5 on Billboard’s “Hot Rock Songs” chart. The track – which has also inspired countless TikTok videos in recent months – is joined by an official lyric video, now with over 133M views via YouTube alone.

As creative and engaging onstage as they are in the studio, Flora Cash lit up stages around the world with a wide range of international live dates, including tours alongside Sir Sly, Joywave, lovelytheband, Judah & the Lion, and AJR as well as festival appearances at Life is Beautiful, Bumbershoot, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Hangout Music Fest, Firefly Music Festival, and the KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau, to name but a few. The duo is currently slated to perform at Hamburg, Germany’s MS Dockville 2021, set for Friday, August 13th; additional dates will be announced soon. For updates, please visit here.

In 2020, Flora Cash released their much-anticipated sophomore album, Baby, It’s Okay, highlighted by the hit singles, “Missing Home” and “They Own This Town” and praised by Atwood Magazine for its “stunning display of stripped back, emotive songwriting, minimal introductions and impressive vocal lines are laced over lush, electro-pop instrumentals as delicate as they are organic, all delving into relational themes…a stunning second album.”

“Well-thought-out, congruent, and brilliantly detailed, Flora Cash explores themes such as post-breakup blues and coming to terms with oneself, all coated in melancholic and bittersweet vibes.” – ATWOOD MAGAZINE

“A sound that’s equal parts earthy and ethereal” – SUBSTREAM

“Bitingly bittersweet (Flora Cash’s) crystalline guitar and spine-tingling melodies give voice to that feeling of emptiness that’s recently become all-too-familiar.” – THE LINE OF BEST FIT

“Alongside artists like Billie Eilish, Maggie Rogers, and Francis and the Lights, Flora Cash is on the front lines of modern musicians redefining alt-pop by injecting their music with heartfelt conviction.” – EARMILK

Connect With Flora Cash

Best Personal Budgeting Methods

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Budgeting is a surefire way to keep your finances under control both in the short and long term. Being aware of every aspect of your budget will help you spend less, as well as set and achieve your financial goals. Luckily, there are plenty of budgeting methods to suit every person. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the most popular approaches to budgeting.

Budgeting Apps

Before we proceed to the classic budgeting methods that have proven to be effective over time, let’s take a look at some budgeting apps that are steadily gaining popularity. Here are some of the apps with top reviews:

• You Need a Budget (YNAB)

• Mint

• PocketGuard

• Personal Capital

• Zeta

• Simplifi by Quicken

Using apps for personal finance planning is extremely convenient as they enable you to have all the budgeting info you need at hand wherever you go.

Method 50/20/30

This method divides all of your spendings into three broad categories. Every time you receive money, it should be divided as follows:

• 50% – compulsory expenses. This includes utilities, rent, transportation costs, health maintenance, food. These expenses are approximately the same every month.

• 30% – irregular expenses. This includes entertainment, spending on hobbies, travel, etc.

• 20% – savings or repayment of existing loans.

If the obligatory expenses make up more than half of the income, then it is worth reducing the irregular ones. If less than half – then add the remaining money to savings.

The Classic Envelope Method

The simplest budgeting approach is the envelope method, which is used all over the world. It has evolved over time, and new ones have appeared on its basis. The idea is that you distribute all your income into envelopes, that is, the categories of goods and services on which you plan to spend money.

Then, every time you need to make a purchase, you take money from the corresponding envelope. If the category is important, such as food or health, then in critical situations, money can be taken from other envelopes. However, if it is entertainment or eating out, then it is not worth spending more than there is in the envelope. It helps you save money and meet your financial goals. At the end of the month, you can analyze your progress and change the volume of envelopes if it turns out to be unrealistic on the first try.

Priority-Based Budgeting

This budgeting method is commonly implemented by governments but works miracles for personal finances as well. Firstly, you have to list all the categories of your expenses and rank them from most to least important. Taking your budget as 100%, you should allocate a certain percentage to every expense category by priority. Thus, the mandatory expenses, such as bills, food, rent, transport, etc., should come first. Closing the list will be entertainment categories alongside non-essential shopping.

What If the Budget Was Counted Wrong?

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to financial planning. If you miscalculated your budget, you could always contact a reliable payday loans company, such as Payday Depot, to help you out while you are waiting for the upcoming salary.

Wildlife Rescue

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Wildlife conservationist/veterinarian on the front lines says it is possible for orangutans, elephants and monkeys to coexist with palm oil plantations

The island of Borneo, divided among Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, is home to one of the world’s oldest rainforests. Borneo also produces about 80 percent of the world’s palm oil, a vegetable oil considered vital for global food security. Here in the U.S., palm oil is widely used in everything from snack foods and chocolate to cosmetics.

But palm oil production is also blamed for Borneo’s disappearing rainforest, destroying wildlife habitats including those of the orangutan, which has become the face of a global anti-palm oil movement.

“In the past 50 years, things have gone from bad to worse. Efforts to preserve the area’s wildlife need to be ramped up,” stresses wildlife conservationist and veterinarian Nathan Sen, DVM, whose first job out of vet school involved rescuing orangutans.

Now as manager of Malaysia’s Wildlife Rescue Unit and leader of the Sabah Wildlife Department’s new endangered species conservation unit, Sen is boots-on-the-ground in Borneo. He sees the sad realities.

Forest destruction is a rallying cry for the anti-palm movement. “Palm oil is called a golden crop. Its production is a valuable source of income, which has contributed to this worldwide ecological concern. In some areas of the world, local farmers dreaming of a better livelihood have burned down forests and converted the land to oil palm plantations,” Sen explains.

But more recently, he sees glimmers of hope that may cause people to have a different perspective on the palm oil controversy.

The situation is shifting toward peaceful coexistence

“The forest is one of Mother Earth’s greatest gifts to humans,” says Sen. “Palm oil can be produced more efficiently than other vegetable oils such as soy or rapeseed (canola).” It can also be produced responsibly. “By national law here in Malaysia, for example, all palm oil must be produced sustainably. There is also a strict ban on forest burning, as well as other initiatives to change palm oil production’s impact on our planet.

“One of the government’s initiatives is to stop the development of any new palm oil plantations and improve production of our existing plantations. This is being done by introducing better trees that can produce more oil, and by improving the oil extraction process to increase the output, so the industry does not require more land,” Sen elaborates.

Another program involves creating wildlife reserve areas along riverbanks. “By not planting against the rivers, orangutans, elephants and proboscis monkeys can now use the river’s edge for their habitat,” says Sen.

In the Malaysian parts of Borneo, the states of Sabah and Sarawak, there is a stable population of orangutans numbering between 11,000 and 13,000. The Malaysian wildlife and forestry authorities have taken necessary measures so now this wild population lives mostly inside a protected natural habitat area, where they can thrive.

This strong governmental support of national wildlife conservation programs is having a positive influence on the country’s palm oil farmers.

“Ten years ago, farmers wanted to keep wildlife out of their plantations. I see a big change in that mentality,” Sen confirms. “More farmers now feel comfortable about coexisting with wildlife. They realize they share the forests with elephants and orangutans. They are allowing them to roam freely across their land. They are coming to understand that if we treat our wildlife with respect, the damage they may cause to the crop is quite negligible.”

He adds that he is very encouraged to see that orangutans are beginning to use Malaysia’s palm oil plantations as their habitat. It’s yet another sign that the country is managing the delicate balance between caring for its wildlife and its economy.

Is the war on palm oil still justified?

If palm oil were to be banned, it would need to be replaced by less land-efficient crops. And as Malaysia has proven, palm oil production can be accomplished while protecting wildlife and forests.

But there is still much work to be done. “Many people still don’t realize that palm oil is the most sustainable choice. For sustainable palm oil production to expand globally, there must be demand by the public. Be vocal about asking companies to source their palm oil from producers who are protecting the rainforests. And buy from companies that have already made that important commitment, such as Coca-Cola, Nestle and Unilever,” recommends Sen.

“While you may never see an orangutan in the wild, your food and personal care product purchases can help ensure these wonderful creatures have safe homes for generations to come.”

BUTCH DAWSON RELEASES SINGLE × MUSIC VIDEO – GET MONEY

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Rapper, producer, songwriter and “a leading voice in Baltimore’s evolving music scene” (Baltimore Sun) Butch Dawson unveils his latest single “Get Money” with accompanying music video. Self-recorded and produced, “Get Money” is raw and textured while showcasing Butch’s dexterous flow. The catchy single follows on the heels of “Hummer,” the lead track off his highly anticipated EP Stardust, out later this summer via Asylum Records.

Co-directed by Khufu Najee and Loris Russier, the “Get Money” video takes the viewer on a first-hand journey of a day and night in the life with Butch and his crew. Blending fast & eccentric footage with still photographs the visuals simultaneously create a real time and nostalgic adventure.

Click here to listen to “Get Money.”

Click here to watch the “Get Money” music video.

“Get Money was made last year. It’s about getting money any way possible and just the perfect montage to get money to,” Butch explains. “The inspiration came from a Kendrick Lamar cadence on ‘ELEMENT.,’ and I created the beat around my vocals. This song feels like an anthem for Baltimore and reminds me of the late single from Tim Trees called ‘Bankroll.’ It’s a simple beat but creates room for a catchy wordplay.”

Merging at the intersection of music and fashion, the West Baltimore native’s braggadocious bars and experimental perspective are all the right elements for a promising career. On his major label debut, Butch shares, “Stardust is about my transition into becoming a household name. The name derived from a project that I wanted to put out before covid called “Jazzstar.” Conceptually, I wanted to highlight all the qualities that makes me a star, and an interesting person. I want to leave my mark in the industry by setting an example and always doing something that breaks barriers. I’m dropping that star dust on the game.”

Stardust EP Track List:

Celebrate
Hummer
All Mine
One Heaven Away
Sutter Hoe
Get Money
Momentum

“Maintains his inner punk side, continuing with his experimental energy, relishes in a more jazz-focused approach to raw hip-hop.” -HYPEBEAST

“Butch Dawson has long been at the forefront of Baltimore’s eclectic DIY rap scene.” -DJ Booth

Butch Dawson is a Rapper You Should Know Right Now – Read More Via DJ Booth

ABOUT BUTCH DAWSON:

Butch Dawson’s artistic journey is a testament to what can happen when someone doesn’t place any parameters around their creativity. The West Baltimore native has been a pivotal figure in his hometown’s hip-hop scene for a decade, starting as a battle rapper while still in high school. In the years following those embryonic stages, Butch’s artistry began to blossom as he developed his skills in constructing songs, producing for himself and others, while also finding innovative ways to promote what he and his peers were making. In the early half of the 2010’s, his music reflected the shit-talking, bounciness that rappers trying to get crowds to jump and down to their songs reflected at the time. But towards the middle of the decade, with songs like “Red Leather Chair,” his sound started to trend more towards a jazzy, melancholy direction where he was able to peel back his emotional layers in a way that he hadn’t before. As time progressed, Butch’s music has become a down-the-middle split between making you want to punch a hole through the wall and inspiring you to sit back and gather your thoughts about life, past, present and future.

And while his career evolved over this span of time, Butch was simultaneously helping usher in an alternative route for rappers trying to break out of Baltimore. He hails from the Pennsylvania Avenue section of West Baltimore, an area steeped in musical history. Clubs like the former Royal Theater regularly hosted Black musical icons like Billie Holiday and visiting artists as they hit the Chitlin’ Circuit. But during Butch’s lifetime, though still an essential part of Black Baltimore culture, Pennsylvania Avenue regressed into a shell of its former self, with the majority of nightlife destinations vanishing, while crime and dilapidation rose considerably. This pushed a young creative Butch who was hungry for inspiration to start looking past his neighborhood and other familiar parts of the city. What he found was Central Baltimore’s transplant-heavy alternative DIY scene, and it opened his mind to a new way to approach his work.

Getting into that scene helped me evolve artistically because, you know, I was more open to different shit, he says. Living in the hood and shit all day, you can be close-minded a little bit if you don’t go out and just see the world for yourself. So for me, just going out there and just seeing people soak all this music up, it allowed me to just open my mind creatively, and it made me become more experimental with my music.

As he was making his way in the alternative scene, tirelessly releasing collaborative projects with others in that orbit, establishing the Basement Rap collective with like-minded friends, and getting coverage from national music platforms, Butch was inspiring other kids from inner city Baltimore to spread their wings. It also made Baltimore a much more enticing destination for artists from elsewhere, like standout rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA who moved to the city in 2014 and began collaborating with Butch almost instantly. For this, Butch Dawson is already a pioneer, which makes his recent accomplishments all the more special.

In 2018, he released his breakout project Swamp Boy, an eight-track album that is the most complete representation of what makes him exceptional. It features songs like Division St. Blues, a somber ode to the street he grew up on and how it’s changed over the years. Around the same time, he began to model for and collaborate with fashion designer Telfar Clemens. In 2019, he followed Swamp Boy with Ollieworld, a more high octane project that felt like it was made with performing live in mind (he toured with JPEGMAFIA across North America that year). The majority of this was accomplished from Butch’s home studio in Baltimore. And now as he’s newly signed to Asylum Records, it feels like the rest of the world will finally be hip to the gifts that he’s been sharing for over ten years now.

Connect With Butch Dawson:

Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Soundcloud