In your quest to choose the best property for your budget, it’s a good idea to arm yourself with an important principle in real estate: THE PRINCIPLE OF LOW PROFITABILITY.

Let me explain this in common language: OVER IMPROVEMENT and UNDER IMPROVEMENT in real estate to be avoided as much as possible.

Excessive Enhancement: An enhancement that is unsuitable for the site on which it is placed due to excessive size or cost.

Low Improvement – An improvement that is unsuitable for the site on which it is placed due to poor size or cost.

Based on years of experience and knowledge of numerous successful real estate developments, the general rule of thumb is 30% of lot value and 70% of home value, give or take. So, for example, if you have a 50sqm lot for low-cost housing valued at around P300,000 and you put a house worth 700,000, that would be fine. Let’s say you want to further improve the house so that it is worth 1 million, that’s still fine, but keep in mind that there is a principle in real estate which is THE PRINCIPLE OF DEMINANT RETURNS. Which means that the improvement that can generate profit will be only up to a certain level, beyond that level, it will become a loss. Let’s further assume that you want to add a third floor to your 2-story house with the same lot value and perhaps the total value of the house would become 3 million pesos, this could be an excessive improvement as the ratio between the value of the lot and house is now distorted. The owner who overimproves may not realize it while he is still living in the house, but when the time comes he has to sell the property forever due to changing situations in the family, he would not be able to sell it for a profit.

For example, a homeowner from Dalaguete Cebu asked me to sell his house with a lot area of ​​2,000 square meters for 15 million. And the reason for the sale is that he separated from his wife and wants 50% of the property. He said that the lot would go free because only P15 million is the cost of the house. It is such a big and beautiful house and in fact when you build a house like that today, 15 million pesos would not be enough. But for a rural area like Dalaguete Cebu, the lot is very cheap and built a house as big as 15 million. After years of offering the property, no one bought it even for a 10 million offer. He spent so much on such a big house thinking only of how he would be happy with his home, and when his living conditions changed and he no longer needed the house, he realized that it could not be sold for get benefits. This is an example of OVER IMPROVEMENT in real estate. He lost several million due to OVER IMPROVEMENT.

Even some subdivision developers fall into the OVERUPGRADE trap. For example, developers developed subdivisions that were either low-cost or higher-end that were closer to the mid-level classification, while installing a nice pool and clubhouse. Eventually the owners were unable to maintain the pool and it became a pond. During rainy days, you can see frogs swimming in the pool. The subdivision is located in the inner part of Mactan Cebu. The owners of this development are unable to sell their property for a good profit due to the lack of maintenance of the subdivision plus the fact that the cost of buying the home is high due to the cost of excessive improvements by the developer. Another example is a developer who developed a residential subdivision in Talamban Cebu City consisting of about 50 townhouses with prices ranging from 5.5-6.5 million. In fact, the quality of the materials used and the design are very good. However, they did not consider the barangay road connecting the subdivision to the main road to be too narrow and nothing can be done about it. It is still a 2-way street but it is narrow just under 4 meters wide. They didn’t consider that prospective locals who have that $5.5 million to $6.5 million budget won’t be comfortable navigating that narrow path to an interior location no matter how nice the house. It is an excessive improvement for such a low place caused by a narrow path. Result? Of the 50 houses ready to occupy, only about 5 were sold. All the others are still waiting for buyers even though the houses are already built.

On the other hand, a buyer or owner should also be aware that there is also UNDER IMPROVEMENT, an improvement that is not suitable for the site on which it is located due to poor size or cost. This can also cause real estate investment losses.

For example, the owner of a house called me to sell his property in Córdoba with a lot area of ​​1,300 square meters. He built a 150 m2 bungalow at the rear of the lot, leaving more than 1000 m2 of the lot as the front of his house. The husband is a foreigner married to a Filipina but after years of living together they quarreled and decided to separate and sell their property for a 50/50 share. The wife wants to sell the house and the lot for 7.5 million pesos because it is the real market value of the property. I agree with the wife’s argument that the house and lot are valued at 7.5 million, but the property has been on the market for 3 years and there have been no buyers. Why? It is due to UNDER IMPROVEMENT. Potential buyers like the house, but the 1,300-square-foot lot area is too much for them, making the property well over their budget. They could have added semi-detached houses to the front of the 1,000-square-meter lot for a profit, but given their situation, they cannot undertake that plan due to their conflicts. All they want is a quick sale and share the profits right away. Unfortunately, they still have time to wait, since they couldn’t even agree on the final price. The husband wants to sacrifice himself by selling it for 5 million but the wife insists on 7.5 million. As for how they will approach this conflict, it will be a legal case. But that is another story to tell.

Author:

Manuel Jr Arengo

Real Estate Broker License No. 0007808

15 years of experience in Real Estate

HP and Dell are among the world’s leading IT companies. Aside from offering truly exceptional products, these companies make sure that their customers don’t have to deal with product issues in the long run. This is done through their customer support facilities. More exactly, through Dell and HP technical support

24-hour Dell and HP support
It doesn’t matter what country you are in. While the company is operating in the country, you will have access to technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which you can access with a simple call to their customer service number. In the case of Dell technical support, you will be greeted by an interactive voice-activated menu system. This menu system is quite easy to navigate and it would normally take no more than 30 seconds to transfer your call to a live expert.

The same goes for HP technical support as soon as you place the call. However, in the case of HP support, the voice-activated menu is not as user-friendly. You will need to speak slowly and very clearly to navigate correctly and reach the right person. Navigating becomes a challenge when you have to say the model number of your product. Typically, it will take the average person quite a few repeated attempts to register their model number. This is when you feel that a key-based activation service would be much better. Something where you have to press 1 key or as directed by the voice to make decisions and move on.

HP Support and Dell Support – Less downtime, effective solutions

The downtime to get a technician to fix your issue is much less at both Dell support and HP support. In addition, the technicians are highly skilled and very friendly, an experience shared by almost everyone who has called Dell technical support or HP technical support. Troubleshooting time is also quite less as the experts are quite proficient in diagnosing and solving any software issues you may be facing. In the event that your problem is diagnosed as a hardware failure, the technician will ask you to mail the product to the company where it will be repaired and then send it to you as soon as possible.

Collecting sports memorabilia is a hobby that can fill your free time with importance and distract you from everyday life. Most of today’s collectors began collecting baseball cards of their favorite players as children. Whether it’s vintage cards like Ted Williams Play Ball Rookie or Joe Dimaggio Goudey Rookie card or 1951 Bowman or Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie from 1952 or modern day rookies like Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr. or Albert Pujols If you collect cards as a child, chances are you’ve moved on to collecting larger pieces or memorabilia. Collectors who collect sports memorabilia as a hobby consider their memorabilia to have sentimental value; they can view it as a childhood memory or an important life moment shared with their favorite star or team. What you decide to collect is a matter of personal preference.

Some people collect items from a wide range of different sports, while others only collect items related to a particular sport or athlete. The sports memorabilia that you collect makes a statement about you as a collector. Every sports collectible you’ve acquired over time tells a story and signifies an important moment in sports history. Some collectors choose to focus on a larger collection of an entire team within their sport of interest, for example; New York Yankees baseball memorabilia, Detroit Pistons basketball memorabilia, or Indianapolis Colts football memorabilia. Other collectors may prefer to maintain a more general collection, acquiring some or all of the memorabilia, diecast collectibles, Bobble Heads, or sports art from their sport of choice. Some collectors choose to collect items from a specific era of a sport or “vintage” items from the team.

Then there are collectors who like a specific player or players within a specific sport or sports and enjoy collecting items only related to that player or players. Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, it can cover almost any topic, including sports collectibles and sports memorabilia. The depth and collection can also vary. There are numerous items a collector can collect anywhere, from autographed baseballs of their favorite player or team to more unique and rare items such as game-used gear (gloves, bats, jerseys, even cleats) to limited edition pieces. such as dolls and figurines, Perez – Steele Postcards and Autographed Sports Art.

Collecting sports memorabilia as an investment

While most sports memorabilia collectors collect as a hobby, or simply for the love of the sport or athlete they admire. Some sports memorabilia collectors go a step further and carefully choose the sports memorabilia they acquire as a sound investment that will increase in value year after year. The more significant the item that is signed, the more value that item will have for years to come.

By purchasing unique, rare, or vintage sports memorabilia, you’re not only making a good investment for the future, and you’ll find that it’s much more fun to collect the kind of sports memorabilia that others don’t have, while at the same time investing in your future. is inundated with items like 8×10 photos or baseballs with only the signature of many of today’s players, a more exclusive or rare item will always have a higher value, for example, there are numerous Albert Pujols autographed baseballs that are find on the internet that it has a book value of $175.00, but if you find one that has an inscription like “2001 NL ROY” for his 2001 rookie season or his “03 Batting Champion” for the batting title of the national league that you won in 2003 or “2005 MVP”, then your investment will at least double or even triple from the start, thus you will have acquired a valuable piece of sports memorabilia that will increase enormously. Find out their value over time as your incredible career progresses. As you can see, collecting sports memorabilia is not only a fun hobby, but also a wise investment.

Yankees Sports Collectibles and Yankees sports memorabilia

I know you must be wondering why I have given a hang gliding related title when detailing my experiences in Miami. This is because the highlight of my trip to Miami was the experimental hang gliding tour I took that gave me the opportunity to float in the air; something I’ve dreamed of all my life. In Miami I had the opportunity to realize my childhood dream.

Our tour itinerary to Miami was basically taken care of by our travel agent who my wife had chosen after doing some web browsing. And she turned out to be quite responsible and she gave us a list of cheap offers from which we chose the 3N/4D package which took care of return flights to Miami, accommodation, meals and included a city sightseeing tour.

The dates chosen for the trip coincided with our children’s winter holidays, so we were lucky. After a grueling nine-hour flight on an American Airlines flight, we arrived at Miami International Airport and checked into our hotel. Thoroughly exhausted, we rested for a day and gave our bodies the much-needed rest to get out of jet lag and enjoyed the hearty full meals on offer throughout the day.

The next day we recharged and refreshed and our knowledgeable tour guide took us on a tour of places like Bayside Marketplace, Miccosukee Indian Village, Deering Estate, and Miami Seaquarium, offering interesting insights into Miami’s rich marine life.

They also took us on a tour of Parrot Jungle Island where we got to see thousands of parrots in a wide variety of colors and hues. Monkey Island was our next stop after Parrot Jungle Island and as expected we saw quite a few species of monkeys at this location. My children loved the visit to Parrot and Monkey Island and were looking forward to visiting the place again. But he had better plans for them.

The next day we took them on a tour of the famous Miami beaches like South Beach, Sunny Isles, Bal Harbour, Haulover, Surfside where we all got to indulge in some water sports and enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

Miami, in simple words, means unlimited fun and adventure and if you are also an adventure fanatic, then this should be your vacation destination this coming winter.

Don’t wait any longer…book your cheap flights to Miami today…before peak season fares set in.

Parks in large congested Indian cities perform one of the noblest humanitarian services by providing comparatively safe and cozy corners for young couples, married or single, to spend precious private moments. But, of course, there are several types of parks: some are smaller with thick undergrowth all around and patches of thick grass interspersed with narrow gravel paths and stone benches at convenient corners; some other medium-sized but similar parks have additional facilities for children to play, including toy gyms; some larger parks have cemented sidewalks rounding out the greenish ground in the middle, the sidewalk is obviously intended for walkers; and some even larger parks with almost authentic football and cricket pitches in the middle with concrete paving running the length of the square and concrete benches stretched beyond the paving towards the surrounding walls. The latest variety is a multi-use park: for morning and evening walkers, football and cricket matches and, of course, lovebirds. Our story is about such a park.

The park presents an interesting sight from late afternoon to night. I’m not talking about the mornings, because the mornings are mostly serene with genuine walkers making their scheduled rounds, the occasional soccer game, and hardly any couples, except for a few groups of young people sitting on benches or loitering on the sidewalk and bothering passers-by. serious walkers. , often drinking tea and smoking. I will also mention this fact later on why people have to go into clean and green parks to smoke or drink tea.

Afternoons and nights are very special. There will be at least three separate football and cricket matches that will play out lively across the playground, braving summer sun or downpours; some benches beyond the sidewalk would serve as pavilions for the parties and the others would be occupied mainly by young people made up of boys and girls; On some benches one or two ladies sat reserving the remaining space, perhaps waiting for their boyfriends; as we mentioned above, some mixed groups would slow down the pavement blocking genuine walkers; I see many other young people lighting a cigarette in an outdoor store and then regally entering the park to savor it, I don’t understand why; most young people would be maskless with social distancing disabled for everyone involved thanks to their unholy grouping; and the most surprising aspect is the fact that the vast majority of serious walkers would be seniors and senior citizens, barring a few younger exceptions. Well, this last fact speaks volumes for the health problems that have hit the younger population of India or the world with a vengeance in recent years.

That night I finished my rounds, rested in a secluded corner and as I was walking out the front door I noticed a rickshaw pull up near the door and a good looking, shapely young woman getting out. She paid the fee and immediately started talking on her cell phone as she headed for the door. I was curious: this means that lovebirds come from far away to this place, most likely for a memorable date. To confirm the same, I went back into the park and observed her from a distance. I found it quite rude to spy on a lady, but I took in the general gender-neutral ‘observance of human characters’ ethos, as indeed I had been doing there. The crux of being a writer, you know!

Now, she is talking excitedly on her cell phone, walking slowly down the sidewalk. After several minutes of talking, she abruptly puts her phone back in her bag and looks around her aimlessly for a few moments, perhaps unable to decide what to do. She assumed that her boyfriend would be unduly late for the date and the angry girl had two ideas: go home angry or not waste her evening waiting for a supposedly uncertain period of time.

Finally, he seemed to have found his resolve. She began to walk, keeping a genuine space, along the sidewalk. I watched with more interest now if this really was going to be a serious night drive. He went through the first round and didn’t stop, he continued through the second round and didn’t slow down. I smirked. Well, by design, by accident, or by sheer no-show, the young woman really did indulge in a serious exercise that would hopefully inspire her to do it regularly or at least occasionally as long as her boyfriend kept showing up late. When I finally made my way out, the young lady was completing her fifth round and taking her cell phone out to check the time.

Employers are responsible for filing and reporting employment taxes. At the end of the year, employers must prepare Form W-2. The purpose of the form is to report wages, tips, and other compensation paid to an employee. Employers must also use the W-3 form. The form is used to transmit data on Form W-2 to the Social Security Administration.

Employers must withhold different categories for the IRS, including federal income, Social Security and Medicare, additional Medicare, federal unemployment (FUTA), and self-employment taxes.

Federal income tax is generally withheld from the employee’s wages. To calculate how much to withhold from an employee’s wages, employers need to refer to two things: the employee’s Form W-4 and the withholding tables, found in Publication 15, Employer’s Tax Guide. Employers must deposit with holding companies. There are two deposit schedules: monthly and biweekly. The schedules determine when an employer must deposit Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income taxes. “These schedules tell you when a deposit is due after a tax liability arises” (IRS.gov, “Publication 15”, 8/29/2013). The deposit schedule an employer uses is based on the total tax liability reported on Form 941. With this in mind, the deposit is not based on how often the employer pays its employees.

When it comes to Social Security and Medicare taxes, employers must withhold a portion of the employee’s wages and also match the amount. Employers refer to Publication 15 and Publication 15-A, Supplemental Tax Guide for Employers for instructions on how much to withhold from employee wages. Employers are required to deposit the amounts they have. At the time of this writing, “for 2013, the employee tax rate for Social Security increased to 6.2%. The Social Security wage base limit increased to $113,700” (IRS.gov, “Understanding employment taxes”, 8/29/2013). The employee tax rate for Medicare is 1.45% and is withheld from each employee’s pay. The employer tax is 2.9%. “There is no wage base limit for Medicare tax; all covered wages are subject to Medicare tax” (IRS.gov, “Publication 15”, 8/29/2013).

The IRS requires employers to withhold an additional amount for Medicare from an employee’s wages. For example, employers must withhold an additional 0.9% Medicare tax from employees whose wages exceed $200,000 in a calendar year. Employers are required to pay the tax in the same period that they pay an employee in excess of $200,000. The employer must continue to maintain each pay period through the end of the year. Although the employer is required to “share” the other taxes, there is no share in the Additional Medicare Tax. Special rules apply for types of services and payments. See Section 15 of Publication 15 for more information on classes of employment and special types of payments and treatment under employment taxes.

Employers must report and pay federal unemployment tax (FUTA) separately from federal income tax, social security, and Medicare taxes. Employers pay FUTA from their own funds. Employees are not responsible for paying this tax; and employers cannot withhold the tax from the employee’s wages. Publications 15 and 15-A provide guidance and more information on FUTA tax.

Finally, the self-employment tax is a type of Social Security and Medicare tax aimed primarily at those who are self-employed. The self-employment tax is similar to Social Security and Medicare taxes, which are withheld from many employees’ pay. The self-employment tax is appropriate for individuals whose net earnings from self-employment are a minimum of $400 and for church income of $108.28 or more. Self-employed individuals calculate self-employment tax using Schedule SE (Form 1040). The current self-employment tax rate for 2013 is 15.3%. The rate is divided into two parts: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare (hospital insurance).

After this computation, self-employed taxpayers may opt for a fiscal year other than the calendar year. If they choose the former, then they must use the tax rate and maximum earnings limit that is in effect at the beginning of the tax year. “Even if the tax rate or income ceiling changes during [a] fiscal year, [they must] continue to use the same rate and limit throughout [their] tax year” (IRS.gov, “Self-Employment Tax,” 8/29/2013).

Employers and small business taxpayers can visit the IRS website for more guidance on their state’s specific requirements and the taxes they must pay.

Combine the power of the Internet with the evolution of digital media, apply the principles of “social networking,” and you have the main ingredients for the recipe that is revolutionizing the way business is conducted today. All you have to do is look at the wildly successful companies that have been built on the social media platform (MySpace, Ecademy, Linked-In, Flickr, Facebook, etc.) or the unprecedented growth of the Blogosphere and you’ll quickly know it. will recognize. Social networks are here to stay.

While social media clearly allows large corporations to be more productive by extending their brand and having better communication throughout the entire value chain, it is its impact on small businesses that is perhaps most impressive. The ability of social media to level the playing field for the individual professional and small to medium business is truly amazing. It was the Internet that established the global economy, but it is social networks that are making it happen.

A bit of history… The term “social media” in its most classical sense is best defined as the study of how people interact with each other. Study the dynamics between nodes (people) and links (their relationships). Since the term was coined in 1954 by JA Barnes, its importance has leapt from the halls of academia to gain visibility in the boardrooms of global corporations. It has evolved from the study of human relations in sociological, anthropological and psychological settings to the study of professional relations and organizational theory in business settings.

When all the buzzwords and tech jargon are stripped away, social media is all about aligning interests and motivations to build influence. There are smart, well-established business people with virtually no networks and little real influence, and there are what on the surface appear to be shadowy individuals with huge networks who wield tremendous influence.

Social media analysis has shown that the greatest amount of power and influence within the corporation does not necessarily reside at the top of the organizational chart, as one might think. Studies have found that the people who have the most influence in a company are the most trusted people with the broadest base of connections, and not necessarily the person with the highest rank or the biggest title. Likewise, the same applies to external networks… It’s about quality (are the people in your network meaningful?), character (do the people in your network trust you and do you trust them? ) and the relevance (are the people in your network capable of exerting an influence that is aligned with your needs?) of the people in your network who matter.

The last and most important ingredient in building your network is that you must be a contributor… The old axioms “you will reap what you reap” or “give and you will receive” have never been truer than when applied to social media. If you are truly motivated to provide value and benefit to your network members, you will receive value in return. However, if you are a user and abuser of your network, only taking from others and giving nothing back, you will bleed your network dry only to see it crumble before your eyes.

With the right motivation, careful construction, and active management of your network, there’s no reason to assume you won’t be successful. Focus on leveraging the most important spheres of influence for the mutual benefit of your network members. By adopting the suggestions in this article, your network will grow geometrically as it spans industries, geographies, and cultures.

A scene you could see in any American home today.

Wife: Billy needs another pair of sneakers. The ones I bought him last month are already worn out.

Husband: How much is that going to cost us?

Wife: You can probably find cheap ones on sale for $25.00.

Husband: Hell, can’t you do better than that? I have to take my car to the workshop this week.

Wife: That’s the best I can do. He needs shoes. Buying cheap shoes doesn’t fix anything anyway, they’ll wear out quickly and we’ll have to buy more in a month or so.

Husband: How much do good shoes cost, shoes that will last?

Wife: $100-$125, easy.

Husband: HOLY $%^&!!! That’s crazy!

Wife: You have to give me some money today anyway, the baby is out of diapers and formula.

Husband: What, you think I’m an ATM? I already have two jobs! Because you’re not here

buying things on sale at the supermarket instead of name brands all the time.

Wife: I hate those cheap brands, they are horrible. Name brands are better. Cheap brands are useless and you end up spending more money on things that wear out quickly or don’t work, like shoes.

Husband: Then you will have to do better to reduce household expenses, I can’t afford more than I am. I don’t have it. We don’t have to eat steak twice a week, you know?

Wife: Why do I always have to find ways to stretch the dollar? You always blame me. Why don’t you get a better paying job? I’m tired of living like this.

Husband: I’m doing the best I can. The gas continues to rise. Taxes, tolls and everything else keep increasing. We have to do something or we will be on the street. Don’t use the air conditioning all day for example, you are increasing the bill.

Wife: It’s too hot for the baby. He cries a lot when he is uncomfortable and extreme temperatures are dangerous for him.

Husband: I guess you’re right, but I don’t know what else to do. There isn’t enough money anymore. Does something have to give somewhere?

Who in this economy isn’t tired of being broke? This scene is too common. How many families are struggling just to make ends meet and losing all their savings in the process. That’s not even the worst. Unemployment is at 8%, foreclosures are at an all-time high, and while the government may say inflation is only 2%, it sure seems a lot higher when you’re at the gas pump or buying a bar. of bread. How many people do you know who don’t have a job or are struggling to find it? How many foreclosures do you see driving down the street?

Let’s face it, the economy has been in trouble since the housing bubble burst in 2008, but in reality, the US economy has been in trouble for quite some time. The American dream has become the daily nightmare of too many people. In this article, part 1 of a 2 part series, we will examine the reasons why the US dollar, and most other world currencies, appear to be shrinking. Instead of seeing and hearing fortune stories these days, look around you and all you see and hear are fortune stories. Statements like the following are very common:

“If only I had a few more dollars left over after paying the bills.”

“I can’t seem to get the dollar to stretch enough to make ends meet.”

“The dollar doesn’t seem to go as far as it used to.”

Unfortunately, this is all too true. How did we get this way? What happened to the great American industrial economy that used to lead the world in production, which has now led the world into a seemingly endless recession? Did we get lazy? Are we becoming obsolete in a global economy?

Not quite.

Maybe it’s not us, the American people, who are broke. Perhaps it is the almighty US dollar that is broken, destroyed by an ongoing fiscal policy that has robbed the present to pay past debts over many decades at the expense of the future, and that future has caught up with us.

The American economy was originally based on the exchange of hard commodities for goods and services. Furs, cattle, vegetables, and dairy products were exchanged for weapons and tools. Hard commodities like gold and silver, as has been the case around the world over the centuries, were exchanged as currency for the services and goods of doctors. In the case of the United States, specifically thanks to the gold boom in California in the 1840s and 1850s, gold became the main commercial asset used by citizens and the public. The gold standard became the norm. Gold in the United States was money. Banks exchanged IOUs for gold, allowing people to safely park their gold at banks. The value of one dollar of gold (one ounce) was equal to a $1 promissory note. Bank customers could earn interest by depositing their gold in the banks and could redeem these notes for their gold at any time. This exchange was the basis for the cash we use today. The promissory note, or “cash,” was a contract, a bond that entitled the holder to redeem the merchandise from him at any time.

America hummed for many years, growing steadily at a healthy rate. The trade was good. The production was fantastic. But then this fragmented nation, made up of independent states united as one union, came to a crossroads. The federal government wanted, or felt it needed, more power to unionize the states so that everyone in the country would keep the same rights and laws. Slavery became an issue between the North and the South. States’ rights became the mandate in the South and federal power the will in the North, causing great friction in Congress and at home. This dispute grew until the Civil War finally began in 1861. In Part 2 of this 2-part series, we’ll examine how Lincoln and the Civil War started the economy on its downward spiral, and how many administrations since then have furthered that spiral. .

Many people want to look good all the time, but hair is often a part of the body that they tend to ignore. They even tend to experiment with many hairstyles and products to go with the trend without being careful about the effects. For them, regular washing, combing and brushing is enough to keep their hair healthy.

It is never too late to start taking good care of your hair. If you want to keep a healthy crown of glory into your old age, the best way is to keep it the right way. Some of you may not know this, but there are actually techniques that can help you make your hair grow faster without having to use drugs or other chemical-laden products.

Now is the time to change your old ways when it comes to hair care. If you follow certain steps and are consistent, you can always get the hair length you want in much less time.

First of all, always be careful with your hair. Comb gently. Brush gently. Gently massage when cleaning. To avoid tangles after bathing, use a wide-tooth comb and comb through your hair in slow motion. Also, avoid pulling your hair hard, especially for women who like ponytails, braids, braids, and clips.
Second, avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain harsh chemicals. Choose the gentlest products that fit your specific hair type. This also goes for their hair styling products, from gels and sprays to mousse and hair straightening formulas.

Third, take multivitamins every day. Remember that not everything you eat every day contains the required daily nutrients that your body needs to grow properly. By taking multivitamins, you get additional nutrients. The vitamin B complex, for example, is essential for promoting hair growth. Other vitamins and minerals that aid in blood circulation, including iron, are also helpful.

Fourth, maintain a healthy lifestyle. This means eating a balanced diet every day, getting enough sleep, doing different forms of exercise, and avoiding vices like drinking alcohol and smoking. Avoid stress at all costs by taking time to relax when you can.

Fifth, don’t try to lose a lot of weight in a very short period of time. Experts say that sudden weight loss can also affect hair growth. This is because as your body loses weight, many nutrients are also removed. There are certain diets for people who want to shed extra pounds that are lacking in nutrients and when the body takes in less than the proper nutrients it can lead to hair loss.

Finally, you may want to use some organic remedies. These include the use of aloe vera, coconut milk, and rosemary, among others, to massage the scalp and hair. Some of these natural home remedies can be used on their own or mixed with other herbs and oils. They can be massaged several times a week into the scalp and hair to promote proper blood circulation and hair growth.

The key is to always be consistent and you will eventually reap the benefits.

REFLECTION ROOM

“Let your heart, then, be perfect with the

Lord our God, to walk in his statutes and

to keep his commandments…”

1 Kings 8:61

According to Jewish literature and traditions, great care was taken of the personal condition of each Israelite who entered the Temple for Divine worship. The Talmud dictated the following requirements: “No man shall enter the Temple with his staff or with his shoes on his feet, or with his outer clothing, or with money tied up in his bag.” Freemasonry has adopted portions of this ancient Jewish custom regarding the preparation of the candidate to enter a lodge.

Although not Jewish in origin, the Chamber of Reflection, which has been incorporated into a candidate’s preparation in some American lodges, is an updated version of the ancient initiation cave. However, it also serves to prepare the candidate to enter the holy land. Typically, the chamber is a small room lit only by a candle that casts a dim light on an array of decorations, including a human skull, human bones, a piece of bread, a flask of water, an hourglass, a saucer with salt and another containing sulfur. The candidate sits alone inside to silently contemplate the sacred significance of his intended Masonic journey.

Seated at a table, the candidate must write a philosophical testament that will later be read aloud in the lodge. To compose that testament, the candidate must search his soul for his true feelings about life, death and the transformation of the self from his material nature to his spiritual destiny. It should come as no surprise that the symbols located within the chamber are derived primarily from alchemy, the science and philosophy of metamorphosis.

Alchemists believed that the salt that is extracted from sea water by the evaporation process constitutes the element of fire delivered by water. Sulfur is to the human body what the sun is to the earth. The union of salt and sulfur symbolizes life and death, or light and darkness feeding each other. Therefore, while the general candidate for the Masonic degrees does not have a complete knowledge of alchemy or the symbols it employs, they are intended to meditate on esoteric matters such as the evolution and continuity of all life, as well as the fact that transformation from material life to spiritual existence is a matter of personal experience. Each and every human being will live, die, and live again, but no one can fully appreciate how it will feel until it actually happens.

For Freemasons, time spent in the Chamber of Reflection symbolizes the trials of life. The first lesson to learn is that nothing is inherently good or bad. People are responsible for making things better or worse depending on how they behave. Thus, the first lesson relates to the importance of accepting responsibility for one’s own actions.

The hourglass asks the candidate to reflect on the irreversibility of the passage of time. Material life is in a continuous progression towards decay and there is very little time available to participate in the development of the spirit. Bread denotes the transformation from raw to fully cooked, from raw wheat to bread fit for human consumption. A Mason is of no value to the world in which he lives simply because he has been initiated into the Order. Rather, he must prepare himself by studying and applying the knowledge he acquires if he is ever to benefit society and humanity. The vial of water represents fertility, or regeneration, of which purification, or baptism, is also a symbol. The regeneration explained in this symbolism is not that of the resurrection of the spirit and soul, but that of the resurrection to moral and virtuous life of the material body. The regeneration of the spirit and soul benefits the individual, while the renewal of the determination to live will benefit others. Most religions teach that unless a man renews his material life to do good works, he will not be fully prepared for eternal life.

It is essential that the candidate understand that Freemasonry does not teach that good works achieve salvation of spirit and soul. Rather, religions teach that lesson in various ways. Freemasonry instructs how a life should be lived, how the “works” of a human life are actually reflected in the “faith” one has. Therefore, the path for which the Chamber of Reflection prepares the candidate is the path to a better life, not the salvation that can only come by God’s grace, never by man’s own works and deeds.

The human skull that is placed in the chamber is intended to remind the candidate that death is the great leveler. No man can escape its clutches and no man can really know how he feels to be dead until he has experienced death himself. The skull is also intended to teach the candidate that death is also a source of life. As plant and animal life die to be consumed by human life, the truth that death contributes to life is profoundly illustrated. When a good man dies, his works remain and contribute to the welfare of those who continue to live. The opposite is true for a bad man. While his evil deeds die with him, the effect of those deeds can live long after he is gone. The lessons learned in Masonry enable the member to make his own death more likely to be a source of life to others, not a source of grievance and torment.

The symbols arranged in the Chamber of Reflection are also intended to instill in the mind of the novitiate the importance of distinguishing between what is real and what is fanciful. When man becomes attached to reality, he frees himself from the phantasms that so soon oppose light and darkness. Most of the time, misbehavior is the consequence of a confused imagination. In Hitler’s twisted fantasy, the Jew was responsible for the ills of his society. A serial killer often fantasizes that viciously and violently taking his own life brings pleasure.

Energy is the fruit of contradictory forces that resist each other. It turns into positive energy or negative energy depending on whether or not the dark side of life becomes too excessive. The light does not always shine in a man’s soul more than it always illuminates the earth. For approximately twelve hours out of every twenty-four hours of each day, darkness prevails. In man’s life, he does not always enjoy good health; for at least a few days, his body is sick. It is not about how to remove the darkness, because that is contrary to the laws of Nature. Rather, it is a matter of what to do when he is surrounded by darkness that dictates whether or not positive energy will ultimately prevail.

In preparation for the Masonic journey, whether or not that journey begins with a period of private contemplation in the Chamber of Reflection, the candidate should be led to reflect on where he is in his own life, where he wishes to be when his life is at hand. ends of the earth and the best way to travel between those two points. Many lodges in America have stopped teaching this valuable lesson early in a candidate’s Masonic career. Most of the time, the candidates are simply “set” by the way they are dressed, which is finally explained once he has started the journey. Little or nothing is said about what it means to follow Masonry, or why that pursuit is meaningful to man and society until after one or more titles have been awarded to the candidate.

Is it possible that by reinstating the important symbolism of the Chamber of Reflection in the operation of each Masonic lodge, some who leave the Craft after a very short trip will continue their search? Is it important to teach a candidate what is expected of him before he receives the Masonic degrees? Symbolism is a way of showing how words create images and how these images become elements of myths, imaginary tales that ring true because they follow winding paths that lead from desires to ideas and actions. Because Freemasonry communicates its wise and earnest truths through symbols that have been selected over time, it is most likely very important for a candidate for degrees to appreciate the meditation required of him before embarking on his journey. masonic.

For many Freemasons, the search for knowledge and wisdom is an ongoing process of study, application, revision of what has been previously studied, and further application of new lessons learned. This process is consistent with the exhortation often uttered in Masonic lodges: “gather what has been scattered and reconcile what appears to be contradictory.” Each of us has experienced the need both to conform and to be different. We have also experienced believing and not believing; certainty and doubt; and order and chaos. Those of us who are able to read this writing have yet to experience the difference between what we know as life and death, and whether or not there is a difference.

If in your Masonic career you were not allowed the opportunity to gaze into a Chamber of Reflection before receiving your titles, you may do so now by bowing your head and offering a prayer to the Great Architect that he understands where you are in your life. , how you got there and how you will travel to the end of your life. As in all Masonic matters, the choice is yours. As is also true in all Masonic matters, no man should undertake any great or important undertaking without first invoking God’s blessing.