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Cheryl Posner

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Health

3 Ways to Enjoy Cannabis Without Smoking

The most widely known way to enjoy Cannabis for the past few decades has been through smoking it.  For many years the most popular ways of ingestion were either smoking a spliff, or with a pipe. Over the past few years’ technology has skyrocketed, creating a wide array of new ways to ingest marijuana whether it’s through Vaping, Brownies or even concentrated CBD oils.

Edibles:

Edibles can be the best way to enjoy cannabis but only if it is done in the correct way. It can be extremely hard to get the dosage right. If you don’t have enough it can be frustrating but if you take too much you can end up on the couch unable to move which can sometimes be a bit scary. With the legalization of marijuana brownies and other edibles are now being mass produced with really strict guidelines so you now know exactly how much you’re getting. This takes away the whole guessing process.

Vaping:

Now vaping is actually my favorite way of digesting marijuana. There are now so many different types of vapes out there, some are expensive and some are fairly cheap. THC which is the active ingredient that creates the effects of marijuana starts to vaporize at a certain temperature. The difference between vaping and smoking is that vaping only heats the cannabis to a temperature where the THC vaporizes without combusting the actual plant. This is why I love it so much because it’s great for people that are very active and cannot afford to weaken their lungs.

Supplements

Supplements are similar to edibles but they come in pills. These are usually used as a replacement for Opiates as Opiates can cause addiction and lead to withdrawal symptoms after just a few weeks of use.  They are generally just oil-infused pills and are usually only used for medical use.  Now with all of the legalization around the nation you can find them at many recreational stores.

As you can see now it’s no longer the 70’s where the potency of the marijuana is very low and the amount smoked or ingested is very high. There are now more than three states that have legalized bud for recreational use and the influx of new ways to ingest it are growing at a rapid pace.  For myself I still enjoy a good old joint but all of these new ways may just change my mind.

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Time To Sell Your Car?

Cars can become like security blankets to us at times. We get so used to them we tend to forget what kind of condition they are in these days. And this is a perception bias that can carry on right up till the point where we are sitting on a desolate highway in who knows what kind of weather waiting for a tow truck and cursing to ourselves!

Selling your car might feel like pulling out teeth for some, but it doesn’t have to be that difficult. There is help online to get you started on your way and close that final deal smoothly, and get decent money for that old bucket you keep dragging around the streets.

You should definitely know the book value of your used car.  Keep in mind that your car may easily be worth more or less than this average value based on many details. What kind of conditions does the car drive in on a regular basis? What weather has the car been through? How hard have you driven it? Try to analyze and be fair and realistic about the expectations you have regarding the car’s price.

This may come as a surprise to some, but in general, you are way better off taking your car and putting it up online to sell and not taking it straight to a dealer to trade. Obviously, there is a certain ease to just taking the old car in, and driving off in the new one, but this convenience usually comes at a high cost to you. Sell it here and get what it’s actually worth, and Uber it to get your car, or go with someone else, or both. You may have people trying to talk you down online, but in general people are much more amenable to paying a decent price for your car than dealerships, who need to always be thinking about margins and stuff.

Don’t be afraid to make some repairs to your car. The fact that it was recently done by you can often make a big difference in a car’s sale price. Of course, don’t go crazy and replace decent parts with perfect ones or anything, but at the very least, don’t forego routine maintenance like oil changes and brake pads etc. just because you’re selling the vehicle. These are actually key talking points for making a good sale and keeping that sale price at or near where you want it.

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Reviews

Best Cars for Luxury on a Budget

Looking for the full range of features and amenities without that intimidating luxury price-tag? You can still get a vehicle fitted out with premium materials and the best in high-tech and luxe features without completely breaking the bank. Here are the 5 best cars for luxury on a budget.

Nissan Maxima

The Nissan Maxima tends to defy the standard when compared to other models in its class. It doesn’t boast an official “luxury” badge, yet it performs and feels like a step above comparable models and presents a driving experience like a luxury sedan.

The Maxima is powerful and fun to drive, with strong acceleration and sporty handling, yet also sophisticated and stylish, with a refined and comfortably smooth ride. The interior feels much more luxurious than the price-tag would suggest, with soft-touch surfaces throughout and “Zero Gravity” seats that are both supportive and comfortable.

Standard features include keyless ignition and entry, leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay capabilities, sound system with satellite radio and a navigation system. Optional luxurious upgrades include 360-degree parking camera, Nissan Connect, upgraded driver seat with two-way power lumbar, premium diamond-quilted leather upholstery, driver attention alert system and a premium Bose audio system.

Audi A3

The Audi A3 is a premium vehicle at a reasonable price that provides the perfect entry-level option for drivers wanting to break into the luxury market. Drivers love the sophisticated, refined style of the Audi A3 combined with the smooth maneuverability, powerful acceleration and sharp handling. This is a vehicle that speaks of luxury and sophistication while still providing a fun and sporty drive.

Basic features on the A3 include leather upholstery, an eight-way power driver seat with four-way power lumbar adjustment, front and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, the MMI electronics system and a 10-speaker sound system. Optional upgrades include smartphone integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities, a powered passenger seat, Bang and Olufsen sound system and adaptive cruise control. Max out on the luxury and high-tech features with the Technology package, that comes with mobile 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi hot-spot, voice controls, mobile app integration and a navigation system that utilizes Google Earth imagery.

Mercedes-Benz CLA class

The Mercedes-Benz CLA class keeps all of the classic Mercedes style and sophistication with some fun features and a reasonable price-tag. Drivers adore this vehicle because of its fun and sporty driving experience, full suite of safety features and equipment, incredible fuel economy and impressive cargo carrying capacity. You can have it all in a luxury package with a sleek, distinctive style in the CLA class.

Standard features for the CLA class are impressive, particularly the forward collision warning system with automatic braking and the drowsy driver attention system, two advanced safety features that are almost always optional or not available on other luxury car models. Also standard are eight-way power front seats with four-way driver lumbar adjustment and memory functions, Bluetooth connectivity, the Mercedes COMAND technology system and the Mbrace2 emergency communication system. Optional upgrades include advanced safety features, a Harman Kardon sound system, panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, adjustable suspension, automatic parking system, smartphone integration and a navigation system with voice controls.

Cadillac ATS

It’s hard to drive a Cadillac without people noticing your style. The ATS matches that sophisticated attitude with impressive performance thanks to agile handling, a full suite of high-tech features and an entertaining driving experience,

The ATS is a compact luxury sport sedan with rear or all wheel drive that comes standard with some impressive features including keyless ignition, rear-view camera, six-way power front seats with power lumbar and the CUE infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, OnStar, voice controls, Bluetooth connectivity and a Bose sound system.  Optional luxurious upgrades include leather surface seats with 10-way power seats, sunroof, a suite of advanced driver assist and safety features including collision alert, and parking sensors.

Volvo S60

Volvo has a great reputation for safety, but the Volvo S60 turns heads with style and power befitting of a luxury car known for speed and sporty driving. This car still feels sophisticated thanks to an all wheel drive system and interior cabin features that keep it both comfortable and quiet even while it’s roaring with its supercharger and turbocharger engines.

Standard features on the S60 include Volvo’s On Call safety system that provides emergency and stolen vehicle assistance and automatic crash notification, Volvo’s Sensus smartphone app integration, Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi capability, a fully-equipped sound system, leather seats, eight-way power driver seat with adjustable lumbar and memory settings, and low speed forward collision warning.

Optional luxury upgrades include a navigation system, premium Harman Kardon sound system, parking assistance, rear-seat entertainment with dual displays, keyless ignition and entry, a power front passenger seat and wood interior trim.

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Reviews

Why It’s Fun to Dream About Winning the Lottery

Between running around frantically, picking up groceries, picking up kids from practice, making sure the family is happy, making sure you’re doing your job properly – the list goes on – between all of that and more, every mom needs a few distractions. Some moms like to head out dancing on the weekend, which can be lots of fun and excitement, and other moms just want a quiet corner of the house where they can throw on Entertainment Tonight and relax with a glass of Shiraz.

Somewhere in the middle of the two – somewhere between thrilling excitement and relaxation – is playing the lottery. Playing the lottery can be such an exciting, even therapeutic thing to do, because not only do you get a low-stakes opportunity to win a ton of money, but you also get to dream about what you would do if you hit the big jackpot, which is half of the fun. It’s this kind of whimsical daydreaming about what you and your family would do if, for instance, you won one of the Powerball jackpots worth hundreds of millions of dollars, that makes playing the lottery such a great little diversion.

All you have to do is go online and buy a lottery ticket. Powerball, the lottery mentioned above, is probably the best of the bunch, with huge payouts and lots of chances to win prizes; it has its own unique set of rules, but you can visit Powerball.ca to learn more about how many numbers to pick, and how to choose a chance to multiply your winnings. Once you’ve bought your ticket, you have to devise a way to pick your lottery numbers, which can be super fun. One method that some moms use to choose their numbers is their kids’ (or husbands’) birthdays, taking the day, month and year and putting those numbers on their selection ticket.

From there, all you have to do is wait, and in the meantime, you get to dream about what you’d do if you won the big jackpot. Take Marie Holmes, a single mother of four who won $188 million playing Powerball and used the money to buy a new home for her family, a new home for her mother, secure her children’s future and give to charity. Or take Mavis Wanczyk, a mom from Chicopee, Massachusetts, who won a whopping $758 million and promptly quit her nursing job.

So, what would you do? You could take your family on a trip somewhere exotic, like Fiji, and go snorkeling in the emerald blue waters; or you could buy a dream house in Paris or New York; or you could buy a lifetime’s supply of wine! In fact, you could probably do all of those things! With the kind of jackpots offered by the Powerball lottery, you could set you and your family up for a lifetime of luxury and bliss. But, hey, just dreaming about it is half the fun, and at the end of the day, it’s exciting to buy a ticket and watch the numbers get chosen.

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Mom Stuff

The French Bikini

First a warning–if you’re my mom, grandma, or just don’t want to read about body waxing? Click out of this post. Now.

Are you gone?

Just don’t want someone to think I’m talking about bikinis when I’m talking about waxing…haha!


Okay, so here’s the deal. I’ve had the Brazilian before and that was awful the first time. It did get less painful each time I went which was awesome. But now that I haven’t been on the waxing wagon for awhile I’m terrified yet again…

So being that Leo will be home in a few weeks and being pregnant makes it impossible to do a lot of things I’ve decided to start getting waxed. Again. Brazilian? No way. I don’t need to take care of everything you know?

Then there’s the regular bikini. But I wanted a little more so I upped it to the French bikini. I haven’t done it yet, but the appointment is set–there’s no going back now! I’m a little nervous…I’ve read it’s more painful when pregnant. I should have scheduled a facial and pedi the same day to relax after getting hair ripped out…

Have you had the French bikini done before? Thoughts? I’m just curious to your thoughts/opinions. And I can’t wait until Leo gets home–I’m thinking he’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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Business

5 Ways to Measure the Effectiveness of Email Marketing

Over the years, email marketing has become one of the most popular digital marketing channels with an estimated ROI of $44 to $1. Such returns illustrate an apparent and obvious effectiveness in email marketing. The question is, how do you measure this effectiveness? Most people rely on click-through rates and open rates, but research has shown these parameters are not as dependable.

So, which techniques are reliable? Let’s take a look.

  1. Website Traffic

The website traffic coming from your email marketing campaigns should give you a good idea whether your efforts are bearing fruit or not. You will need to integrate your web analytics and email campaign.

This will help you measure the amount of traffic derived from your unique email campaigns. Through the data collected, you’ll get to see the percentage of website traffic that your emails generate.

  1. Email Conversion Rate

The conversion rate is another reliable metric. Measuring how many people clicked an email link is the conversion rate. Measuring this rate entails identifying the number of people who completed a desirable action, dividing that total with the number of emails sent, and then multiplying the result by 100.

The resulting percentage should be a steadfast illustration of whether email marketing is working or it’s a dud.

  1. The Bounce Rate

Basically, the bounce rate measures the number of inactive visitors to your website. The visitors that leave instantaneously without any activity are said to have “bounced”. In effect, if readers are landing on your page and bouncing immediately, then there’s a problem with your email marketing campaign.

The problem may also be with your landing page content. The content should be properly aligned with your email to get the reader hooked the moment they land on your page.

  1. Spam Complaints

Some people just won’t like your emails or the content. The usefulness or the relevance of the content will be lost to them and as such, they might mark your emails as ‘spam’. The percentage of spam complaints measured against the number of emails sent is indicative of the success derived from your email campaign.

Measuring this rate entails identifying the number of people who marked your email as spam, dividing that number with the number of emails sent, and then multiplying the result by 100. A high spam complaint percentage should act as a warning that a change is needed, and fast.

  1. Measure the ROI

At the end of the day, your Return on Investment (ROI) is the only measure that really counts. In essence, the efficiency of an investment will determine whether your email campaigns are profitable or just a drain on your resources.

Measuring ROI is quite simple, you take the revenue gotten from email campaign-related sales, subtract the money invested in the email campaigns, and then multiply by 100. The resultant amount will be a clear indicator of whether your email marketing strategies are working or not. Stacked against the other determinants, ROI should ultimately be the measure that determines whether you need to stick or twist.

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