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5 Celebrities Who Ran For the White House

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There have been two people who were considered celebrities before their careers in politics who ended up having successful runs for the White House. The first was when former actor and Screen Actors Guild leader Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States. The next was real estate mogul and reality television star Donald Trump, who became the 45th President.

Along the way, there have been several other celebrities that have taken their shot at the White House but haven’t come as nearly as close as Reagan and Trump. Between singers, reality television stars, actors, and authors, there are plenty who felt that they were ready to lead the nation, but didn’t have many who felt the same way. Here are five celebrities who ran for the White House.

Kanye West

The controversial rapper has had a lot to say about politics throughout his career, but especially during the late 2010s. West had been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s initial campaign in 2016 and decided that he wanted to run for office in 2020 himself. The “Flashing Lights” and “Through the Wire” singer decided to run as an independent during the election, but didn’t fare so well.

West received around 60,000 votes in total, so he was never as serious as a contender as some thought he would be. However, West did almost immediately announce that he would be running in 2024 while the votes were still being counted. As for where most of his votes came from, the state of Tennessee counted for the largest amount at 10,195.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

All Dwayne Johnson has to do to really become a serious contender for the White House is to officially submit his name. As of now, he has said several times that he has thought about it and likes where the polling numbers are, but hasn’t hit the campaign trail to secure more votes. One poll showed that nearly half of Americans would support him in a presidential run, even.

“I would consider a (more serious) presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted,” said Johnson, the professional wrestler turned actor. “Truly I mean that, and I’m not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people…So I would wait, and I would listen. I would have my finger on the pulse, my ear to the ground.”

Brock Pierce

The name Brock Pierce might not sound too familiar, but if you grew up in the 1990s, you certainly remember his face. Pierce was a child acting star who rose to prominence in the film “The Mighty Ducks”, playing the younger version of Emilio Estevez’s Gordon Bombay. Afterward, he starred in the 1996 Sinbad film “First Kid” and also appeared in “Little Big League” and “Three Wishes”.

Pierce left the acting world during his teenage years and became an investor and entrepreneur who made millions, eventually hitting it big in cryptocurrency and real estate.  As a true independent, Pierce ran for president during the 2020 election with Karla Ballard as his running mate. He didn’t fare well, though, earning less than 50,000 votes.

Roseanne Barr

You’ve likely heard of some of the third parties that end up receiving a good chunk of votes each election. The Libertarian Party, Green Party, and Reform Party are all ones that have popped up as third-place finishers, but the Peace and Freedom Party is one that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention. That would change in 2012, however, as comedian and actor Roseanne Barr ran for president under the party’s ticket.

At the time, Barr had identified as a member of the leftist group and ran with Utah as her home state. Barr actually performed better than anyone on this list so far, collecting nearly 70,000 votes. That was good for 0.05 percent of the total and placed her sixth overall in the final tally. Of course, it wasn’t enough to top Barack Obama’s 65.9 million votes.

Stephen Colbert

Talk show host Stephen Colbert was still playing his satirical Comedy Central character in 2008 when he decided to start a campaign for the presidency. He did so in October 2007 and had initially said that he was going to run on both the Democrat and Republican tickets. However, the Republican fee turned out to be too high, so he instead spent just $2,500 to be on the Democratic ballot.

Despite paying the fee, the Democratic Party executive council in the state of South Carolina turned him down, so he didn’t make it to the primary. Within one month of his candidacy, Colbert officially withdrew in what could have ended up being a very interesting situation in 2008.

5 Free Kindle Books To Help You To Success

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All of us want to be more successful in our lives, but might not know the ways to go about it. Thankfully, there are plenty of books available that teach us how to dig deep and find the level of success we strive for, but most of them can be rather costly. 

Amazon’s Kindle program offers plenty of free books to read, though, many of them are in the self-help category. Here are five of the best free books on Kindle that can help lead you to the success you’ve always dreamed of.

How to Win and Influence Your Staff in the Social Media Age

Being able to keep people’s attention can be incredibly difficult in today’s world, especially with social media taking up so much of our attention. It seems that whenever we do anything, we have to run straight to social media to talk about it and share it with others. This modern era has been especially hard for those that are running a staff, as the attention can quickly turn to smartphones and building work relationships is tougher than ever.

That’s where author Sheryl Pinelli comes in with the book “How to Win and Influence Your Staff in the Social Media Age: Essential Building Blocks for Productive Results and Relationships in Your Organization”. Released in 2023, Pinellis’ book shows the difference between being a boss and a true leader while also managing feedback both to and from employees.

The Positive Thinking Secret

It’s hard to have success in this life without having the right positive attitude. In July 2013, Aaron Kennard released the book “The Positive Thinking Secret: How to Forget the Past, Smile at the Future & Laugh in the Face of Pain”. Kennard talks about how life can hit people with one big surprise after another and teaches people how to deal with unexpected trauma and stress.

Kennard is very straightforward in what to expect from his book that’s free on Amazon Kindle. He says that it’s not the cure-all for everything in life but will teach you how to feel at ease when things seem to be crumbling around you. Having this type of attitude will lead to a lot of success in both your personal and professional lives and even discusses how to deal with serious medical issues.

Think and Grow Rich

We discussed that you need to have a positive attitude to find success in your life, and there is also a mindset that’s shared by some of the most successful people in the world. “Think and Grow Rich” was published in 2010, and has become one of the top free books on Amazon under the category of motivational business management.

Napoleon Hill, who passed away in 1970, started this book that’s nearly 200 pages in length and has some of the best advice from those that found success in years past. The book says that “Success comes to those who become success conscious,” adding that “Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure conscious.”

The Belief Principle

TextWritten by Steven Aitchison in 2020, “The Belief Principle: 7 Beliefs That Will Transform Your Life” takes a look at some of the questions we have to ask ourselves to find success in all aspects of life. Some of these questions include: Would you like to be happier? Would you like to be making more money? Would you like a better job?

Aitchison says that the thing that stops us from achieving any of the goals that we set for ourselves is our belief system. After reading this book, you’ll be able to take a deep dive into your own thoughts and feelings and discover what’s truly the most important to you. Even if you want happiness more than money, you’ll be able to find it.

Time Is Money

Between work, keeping relationships/friendships, exercise, sleep, and relaxation, there’s really not much time in the day. We all have the same 24 hours, and using those hours can become difficult to balance all at once. Author Alex Altman knows that it’s difficult for people, and wrote the 2015 book “Time Is Money: A Simple System to Cure Procrastination Without Willpower, Become More Productive, Find Your Focus & Get More Done in Less Time”.

This book will help you to get back some of that energy that you may have been missing in your busy life, avoid mistakes that people make, and how to deal with the stress that comes from an overwhelming time crunch. There are reasons why many of us procrastinate, and Altman walks us through all of those so that we can adjust our busy lives.

What To Do If You Don’t Receive Your Parcel Delivery

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There’s nothing quite as frustrating as expecting a package in the mail, only to find your mailbox empty and your doorstep completely barren. In a lot of cases, it isn’t just a minor inconvenience, as some parcels are extremely important. People can be left feeling hopeless when a parcel doesn’t arrive, and many aren’t quite sure what to do when they don’t get what they ordered.

If you’re still waiting on that parcel to arrive, just make sure that the first you do is to relax. There isn’t much that you can do while in a panicked or enraged state, even if your first instinct is to be upset. Once you’ve composed yourself, here are the four things that you need to do if you don’t receive your parcel.

1. Check Everywhere

There are a lot of instances in which your tracking service will say that a package is delivered, but you don’t see it on your mailbox or porch. Sometimes, delivery drivers will get a bit creative with where they put a package. It could be in the wrong mailbox as drivers may often place it into a neighbor’s, especially if you live in an apartment complex or a subdivision with a common mailbox.

They may have also left it in a hidden spot so that it doesn’t get stolen and simply forgot to put the exact location in the final delivery status. Either way, you want to make sure that you’ve exhausted all options before panicking and making phone calls. Something very small like a priority envelop could be under your doormat.

2. Call the Post Office

The nex tithing that you want to do is contact the company that delivered the parcel. Whether it’s the post office, Amazon, FedEx, or any other option, you’ll want to contact them before anyone else. This is especially true if they’ve marked the parcel as ‘delivered’ as they should be able to pinpoint exactly where the package was dropped off.

There have been a lot of instances in which the delivery company has placed the package at the wrong house and has that documented in their system. The delivery driver will be able to go back and retrieve the package, delivering it to you safely. This is more common than you might think, especially with drivers dropping off thousands of packages per day.

3. Contact the Sender

Sometimes it isn’t just the delivery service that ends up losing your package, but the sender itself that’s the source of the problem. If the delivery company has no answers for you, then the seller might be able to help you out. Even if it wasn’t there fault, most companies will be willing to send a replacement right away.

This is true in the case of packages that say that they were delivered, as most companies don’t want to upset their potential long-term customers. Amazon has been able to grow over the years thanks to their customer service team that gets out replacements to their customers right away, most of the time with no questions asked, especially for smaller packages.

4. Contact the Police

You’ve looked everywhere for your package, the delivery company and seller have proof that it’s delivered and nobody will offer you a refund or a replacement. When that’s the case, you’ll want to contact the police to file a report for a stolen item. There isn’t a whole lot that the police can do once a package has been stolen, but it’s good to have a report on file for when you can present that to the seller in hopes of getting some sort of mercy.

Then, there are the cases in which people have cameras for their front door, mostly in the form of a doorbell like Ring. This will give a concrete evidence that the package was stolen and even show the perpetrator’s face. With this evidence, the police will be able to help much further than a spoken report.

Summary

There are certainly more package thefts now than ever before, but there are also more ways to combat them. Just remember to relax if your package hasn’t arrived at your doorstep and know that mistakes happen. In most cases, you’ll end up getting your package one way or another, even if it’s a replacement. More often than not, a package ends up being placed at the wrong location and the problem can be remedied easily.

5 Gadgets Every Cyclist Needs for Their Bike

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Cycling is one of the greatest hobbies that anybody can take up. Not only do you get all of the health benefits, but it can also be a ton of fun and a great way to get around the city while being environmentally friendly. In the early days of cycling, there weren’t many accessories that you could bring along with you unless you had a backpack and had to stop to use any of them.

These days, though, there are countless gadgets that make the cycling experience even better than it already was. If you want to add some flare to your next ride, here are five gadgets that ever cyclist needs for their bike.

Smart Helmet

Long gone are the days when the only options you had for a helmet were hunks of plastic that did nothing more than strap onto your head and keep you protected. These days, helmets are doing a lot more and can keep you entertained and in communication with other people during your rides. There are many companies that are making smart helmets these days, with the most advanced ones able to offer a lot of bells and whistles.

Many of the more cutting-edge smart helmets have LED lights, turn signals, and Bluetooth connection to your wireless devices. If you’ve ever been on the road and had to give someone a phone call, you may be tempted to fumble around your pocket and try to ride with one hand. Now you can do it all straight from your helmet, making things incredibly easy.

Bluetooth Speakers

Many of us like to listen to music when we’re riding, but it can be a hassle to wear earbuds when riding. For starters, you aren’t able to hear your surroundings very well, which can end up being a safety hazard. Sometimes, earbuds are just straight-up uncomfortable, especially when you’re working up a big sweat during your ride.

Thankfully, there are more Bluetooth speakers these days that are being designed for cyclists that allow you to listen to all of your favorite music without clogging up your ears. Companies like Ampulla make magnetic speakers that can stick to your bike while providing loud enough music so that you can jam out while riding. Also, the battery life on these speakers has gotten much better over the years so you can still listen during long rides.

Futuristic Bike Locks

One of the worst possible things that can happen to a cyclist is having a bike stolen. We put a lot of money into our bikes since we spend so much time riding, but they can be stolen easily if you don’t have the right lock. The older locks can be cut in an instant and your bike can be gone before you know it.

Thankfully, more modern bike locks are preventing theft, and some even require you to have your smartphone handy to unlock it. Bike locks like the Linka are able to make your bike completely unrideable unless the app opens it up. Other companies like Foldylock are also making compact locks that are essentially unbreakable.

Cycling Airbag

All vehicles (at least legal ones) come with airbags in the event of a serious accident. It wasn’t until recently that a similar device was introduced for bicycles, and thanks to Swedish company Hovding, cycling airbags appear to be a staple for the future. The airbag, when not deployed, looks like a large, soft scarf that you place around your neck.

You then connect the Hovdig to an app on your smartphone, and it can detect when you’ve been involved in an accident. The airbag will deploy in just 0.1 seconds, allowing time for full deployment to keep you safe. Anyone that’s ridden around in a busy city knows just how much of a lifesaver this can be.

Smart Lights

Even the technology of bicycle lighting is getting futuristic and helping riders around the world. These days, there are more gadgets introduced that show the speed of a cyclist depending on the light color and even adding turn signals and brake lights. One of the leaders in this industry is Revolights, which has all of the features we mentioned.

Other companies including Veglo, Brainy, and Double O are making futuristic lights of their own that can be placed on the bike or worn by the rider. It seems that in the near future, the number of lights that you see on a bicycle will rival that of a vehicle. That’s not a bad thing, either, as it allows for maximum safety and round-the-clock cycling.

5 Best Places To Work for H1B Employees

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An H-1B visa is not one of the easiest things to get with fewer than 70,000 given out in the United States each year, but landing one certainly opens up a lot of doors to becoming an American citizen. They also tend to be offered higher-paying jobs, with some companies having more lucrative opportunities than others.

If you’re a highly skilled worker and want to build toward American citizenship, you may be eligible to earn an H-1B visa. For those that are thinking about doing that, there are certain places that you’ll want to apply to as they have been highly rated for visa recipients. Not only that, but these jobs pay well and provide a lot of opportunities for foreign workers. Here are our picks for the five best places to work for H-1B employees.

Facebook

Started by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Facebook has become a social media giant that has expanded into the Metaverse while acquiring companies such as Instagram and WhatsApp along the way. Facebook is now one of the biggest tech companies in the world and sponsors around 5,000 H-1B recipients for high-paying jobs.

On average, H-1B workers with Facebook are receiving over $172,000 per year, which has only gone up over the years. Facebook doesn’t offer many lower-paying jobs through the H-1B program as they only want the best of the best and have shown that they’re willing to pay for just that. A very low percentage of the H-1B visas for Facebook employees are ultimately withdrawn, too, giving people job security.

Apple

Another one of the biggest tech companies in the world, Apple Inc. is obviously well-known thanks to their products like the iPhone, iPad, and much more. Apple, like Facebook, only wants the world’s best engineers to work on their hardware and software, and they pay like it. With more than 3,700 H-1B visas offered, Apple pays an average of more than $162,000 per year with an incredibly low withdrawal rate.

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne back in 1976 and has grown tremendously over the years. Originally created simply for computers, Apple has become a staple in everyday life thanks to their products, services, and subsidiaries including Beats Electronics and Dark Sky.

Ernst & Young

If you want to see a company that really has almost no H-1B visas withdrawn, look no further than the accounting firm Ernst & Young. With around 9,000 H-1B visas granted each year, there have only been a couple withdrawn each year, and this financial company wants to make sure that they hold on to their best talent. With that in mind, the pay is amazing, too, with an average salary of around $125,000 per year.

The roots for the company start back in 1849, and the E&Y that we know today officially came to be in 1989 after the merge of Ernst & Whinney with Arthur Young & Co, with headquarters in London, England. E&Y holds a large stake in American finance, as well, and is the seventh-largest private company in the United States.

Google

Going back to the tech side of things, Google is another one of those that wants to collect the world’s top minds to create cutting-edge products and stay ahead of the curve. Google does this more than just about anyone and is one of just a handful of companies that offers more than 10,000 H-1B visas in a given year. These aren’t low-paying jobs, either, with an average salary of about $150,000 for H-1B recipients.

Starting as a search engine site in 1998, Google has grown into an umbrella company known as Alphabet that has many subsidiaries. In addition to Google, Alphabet owns Verily, Wing, Calico, and DeepMind just to name a few, giving H-1B recipients a laundry list of opportunities to pick from when working for the Google brand.

Amazon

When most people think of Amazon, they tend to think of warehouses and packages being delivered at a super-fast rate. There’s much more to Amazon, though, and behind the scenes, there are a lot of subsidiaries, especially in the technology sector. Amazon has grown into one of the largest companies in the world, and now the company that was once simply an online bookstore is the country’s second-largest H-1B sponsor in terms of volume.

Amazon employs around 12,000 people that are on H-1B visas, with only around 500 or so withdrawn each year. You aren’t likely to be working in the warehouse for Amazon on an H-1B, either. As a result, employees are paid around $138,000 per year on average.

How To Make Your Classified Ad More Appealing

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Classified ads are a lot older than you might think they are. The first ones started popping up in the 1760s in local newspapers and grew to be one of the most well-known sections throughout the printed press for decades. It wasn’t until the 21st century that classified ads started to wane in popularity as the internet made most print media obsolete, but classified ads still appear on the world wide web.

In fact, there are more classified ads now than ever as you no longer have to pay a small fee in the hopes of having your advertisement seen in the local newspaper. Now, there are websites like Craigslist that help you get your classified ad in front of more eyeballs than ever. If you’re looking to create a classified ad and need help to have them be more appealing, here are five tips on how to do just that.

1. Photographs

You could have the best grammar in the world and have a lot of great things to say with your text in a classified ad, but if you don’t have images, there might be a chance that nobody sees your advertisement. On the flip side, your spelling and grammar could be all over the place, but if you have an image that shows exactly what you’re selling or looking for, then you’re almost guaranteed to get a response.

It’s a scientific fact that people are more drawn to images than they are to text. In fact, researchers with 3M have shown that people process images in their brains a whopping 60,000 times faster than they do with text. So make sure to add an image so that those who are scrolling through quickly stop on your advertisement.

2. The Right Headline

People are becoming more aware of when headlines are generated from a bot, and when they are from an authentic human. Because of this, you want to make sure that your headlines come through as sincere and something that isn’t simply trying to attract unnecessary attention. Avoid strange words that you wouldn’t use in everyday speech like “Huzzah!” or any other exclamations that shouldn’t be there.

Instead, focus on optimizing your headline so that it’s something that comes up in a Google search. For instance, if you’re selling a 2015 Ford F150, you wouldn’t want to put “Wow! Low price on a new truck! Click here now for info!” Instead, you would want to put something along the lines of “2015 Ford F150 for sale. $15,000 or best offer, 50,000 miles and features brand new tires and brakes.” Use the headline, to sum up exactly what the rest of your ad is about.

3. Don’t Personalize It Too Much

A lot of people try to get too cute with their headlines and body of text without focusing on the actual product that’s being sold. Instead of focusing on your life story when it comes to the product, focus simply on the product itself. The more details you have about that product, the better, as people will want to know exactly what they’re getting.

While we mentioned that people aren’t too fond of reading a ton of text, there are still plenty of people that are willing to read details that are formatted in an easy-to-read way. Use bullet points whenever possible to sum up information and keep your contact information available at the beginning or end. That info is the only time that you should really be talking about yourself.

4. SEO Work

We already brought up using search engine optimization for your headline, but it should be something that you practice throughout your entire advertisement. Try to make your ad so that it’s filled with words and phrases that people will be searching for.

Let’s say that you’re selling a home in Kansas City, Missouri. You want to avoid “KCMO House for Sale – Great Price!” Instead, try to use something along the lines of “Home available for sale in Kansas City, Missouri. Located in the ___ suburb, $200,000 or best offer.” Prices and location are very important for SEO purposes.

5. Categoriziation

There have been plenty of people who have gotten zero responses on their classified advertisements and wondered why. One of the problems is that they simply posted their ad into the wrong category.

Online sites have plenty of categories available for classified ads, so you want to make sure that you’re getting your ad into a category that’s as specific as possible. Don’t simply list something that you have in the “For Sale” category, but instead something more detailed.

5 Tips To Get Bargains Using Classified Ads

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All of us are looking for a good bargain, no matter where we can find it. Of course, there are going to be sales through retail stores where we can save some money here and there but are you truly getting the maximum deal? Believe it or not, the cheapest way to get what you need most of the time can come through classified ads, especially if an item you want has been used before.

If you’re looking through the classifieds and want to get the best deal on anything, there are a few rules that you should follow. Thankfully, you won’t have to search high and low to find ways to save money, as we have five of the best tips to get bargains using classified ads, potentially saving you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars throughout the year.

Haggle

If you try to go to a place like Walmart or Best Buy and try to get a lower price from the cashier than what’s listed on the price tag, you’re probably going to be met with a blank stare. The beauty of buying something through a classified ad is that haggling is almost always an option. Sure, there are going to be some postings where the seller says that they are firm on the price, but many are willing to knock down the price a little.

This is especially true if they haven’t received any offers anywhere close to what they were originally asking. The seller will simply want the item out of their hands and will be willing to take the best offer. With that in mind, you don’t want to come in with an insultingly low offer as the seller might not want to deal with you, but ask if they can lower the price.

Don’t Stick to One Site

Some people get too used to one particular website that has classified ads that they forget to shop around the internet for what they want. Craigslist isn’t the only website in which classifieds can be posted, as websites that include OfferUp, LetGo, and the Facebook Marketplace all have great classified ads, some of which may be more reliable.

For instance, Facebook allows you to see who exactly is selling an item, and having that veil of anonymity removed can help put you more at peace with the transaction. There isn’t really a bad site for doing some classified shopping, but you certainly don’t want to constrain yourself to just one website.

Look in All Categories

Most classified ad websites have a long list of categories from which to choose, and they can get very specific. If you want to find some true hidden gems, try to check out the general ‘for sale’ section on these websites and use the CTRL+F feature or search tab to find what you want. 

For instance, let’s say that you want a retro video game. Instead of going into the ‘video game’ section of the ‘for sale’ area, try to search for the exact game that you want in the homepage’s search bar and go from there. Not everyone does this, and you might be able to find something for cheap where the seller has yet to be contacted.

Search For The Item’s Price

What might seem like a great deal on paper could end up only being a very small discount, or could be above the listed price at a retail store. Remember that when you’re buying something online, your chances of getting your money back if it isn’t working or up to par are minimal. If you’re only getting about 5 percent below MSRP, it makes more sense just to buy it from a store where you get peace of mind.

With that said, always check the price on retailer websites to see how much they’re selling the same product for. If you aren’t getting a massive discount compared to the store, it probably isn’t going to be worth your time to buy from that particular classifieds seller. It’s also important to shop locally so you’re saving money on gas while also getting a safer transaction.

Browse the ‘Free’ Section

Pretty much all of the top classified ad websites have a section where items are listed for free. When this happens, it usually has a first-come, first-served basis. You have to act quickly when items are free, so make sure to check the site frequently.

There are some really great items that will come up in the ‘free’ section, too. From lawnmowers to video game consoles, there are some things that you can really get great use out of without paying a dime.

5 Ways To Improve Your Chances At An Academic Scholarship

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Getting a scholarship for college is no easy task, with only around 25 percent of high school students receiving money via scholarship or grant when entering college. It’s a competitive world to get a scholarship, but it isn’t impossible. If you’re worrying about how you’re going to pay for college, follow these five steps so that you can improve your chances at an academic scholarship.

Get Those Grades Up

This one should go without saying, but you need to get your grades up if you want to be able to get an academic scholarship of any kind. For those that aren’t financial-based, there’s almost no chance that you’ll be able to receive a scholarship if your grade point average isn’t above 3.0. The higher the better, so make sure that you’re really focusing on getting your GPA by nailing your homework and studying hard for tests.

Most of the scholarships that you’ll sign up for are going to be earlier on in your high school career, so you have to start strong. When there’s any chance for extra credit, make sure that you’re taking it. If you’re somehow able to get above a 4.0 GPA with extra credit, then colleges and scholarships are going to be lining up to introduce themselves to you.

Study For the Tests

Outside of your grade point average, the thing that scholarship sponsors look for more than anything is your test scores. There are two main tests that sponsors are looking for, and those are the ACT and SAT. The SAT used to be the gold standard for college entrance exams, but the ACT has ended up taking over and holding more weight for decisions.

The ACT is graded on a score of 1 to 36, with four separate tests comprising of English, math, science, and reading. These four tests are then given a composite score, and most full-ride scholarships are given to those that score 28 or higher. Many scholarships, though, will start at 22 and you’ll want to be in the 25-28 range for more opportunities.

Keep Studying

The best part of taking the ACT and SAT is that you can take the test over again and you’re not defined for the rest of your life by that first score. With that in mind, you’ll want to keep studying and use that knowledge of your first test to help you perfect your test-taking abilities. Sure, it can be a hassle to try and nail the same questions over and over, especially when you’re not sure which ones you got wrong, but practice makes perfect.

It can’t be understated just how important these test scores are for college entrance, as well as your scholarship opportunities. The closer that you can get to that elusive 30 number, the better your chances are for landing an academic scholarship. Even a GPA that’s lacking in perfection can be overcome by a strong test score.

School Selection

In most states, you’ll be able to select what school you want to attend rather than be stuck in the closest school in your district. You should take advantage of this opportunity if it exists so that you can attend the best school available. This will not only give you the best preparation for college but also give you a chance to rank high amongst elite students.

Part of winning scholarships is having a high class ranking, as those in the top 25 percent are much more likely to earn an academic scholarship while the top 1-5 percenters are almost a shoo-in. It can be easier to earn a high ranking at a smaller school, but if you can prove that you rank high among a large class size, that’s even more impressive.

Get Involved

Extracurricular activities have almost nothing to do with academics in most cases, but having them as part of your resume strongly increases your chances of earning an academic scholarship. Sponsors want to see that you’re able to handle a busy schedule while also helping your community and maintaining strong grades.

Really, that’s all there is to it. Make sure that your class ranking is high by studying hard, taking tests well, earning extra credit, and getting involved with your community or participating in sports. Follow all of these tips and you’re sure to be receiving scholarship offers while still in high school.

The Differences Between a Friend and a Best Friend

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Friendship is defined as “the emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends.” Almost everyone in the world has friends, and almost everyone has at least one person that they consider to be a best friend. There’s that certain feeling of comfort that you get with some people that make you consider them to be part of your family rather than just a friend.

What’s the difference between a friend and a best friend? Well, there are many unique factors that every individual wondering this very question will take into account on their own when defining their friendships. There are some basics that can and should be taken into consideration when you find yourself stuck in this dilemma. 

First, start by asking yourself what drew you to this person in the first place. What led you to call them a friend, or best friend? Was it their sense of humor? Was it because they have similar interests to yours? Was it their kind nature and sense of calm you feel around them? If you can pinpoint why you connected with them to begin with, it may help you to determine on what level you connect with them. 

The next factor to consider is how well they play the part of friend or best friend. How well do they meet your friendship needs? Look closely at what your wants and needs are in a platonic relationship. What are your expectations? How many of them are met by those closest to you? Doing so should help you have a more clear cut idea of what it even is that you desire from a friend or best friend. 

The final thing to investigate is how well they treat you and how you feel when you’re around them. Is there anything they do that gets under your skin? If there is, do you even feel comfortable enough around them to confront them about it? Any solid friendship should have some degree of healthy communication and a feeling of security when you’re around them. Do they make you feel as though you’re safe, heard, and that you matter to them? Establishing trust is incredibly vital.  

Once you take a good, hard look at these important tidbits of information you’ve gathered regarding your friendships it’s time to define a friend from a best friend. Generally speaking, if someone doesn’t quite meet your needs, doesn’t make you feel comfortable, or listened to, or doesn’t respect all of your boundaries usually isn’t a good fit for a best friend or a friend at all. If your relationship with someone is a standard, surface-level one, there’s nothing wrong with that and odds are they still have a lot to add to your life and do their job of being there for you and spicing up your friendship circle. 

One thing about basic friendships is that they still play an important role in our lives and we can give and gain from those kinds of relationships. However, best-friendship is something very special. If you find yourself feeling that your needs are met, you can spill your heart and soul around a person, there’s healthy communication, and a good balance of give and take, then perhaps you’ve found yourself a best friend. 

These are just some of the basic foundations of what it takes to establish a healthy friendship or best friendship and what defines the two. 

Building Your Own Home? 5 Things You Need To Know

Posted on by scatty

The dream for a majority of people is to build their own home from scratch and keep it in the family for generations. Then, there are those that want to build a new home simply because the land is free and it’s a good spot for an investment. No matter what your plans are with a new home construction, there are many things that you should know before getting into the project.t Here are the five key takeaways:

Crunch the Numbers

Obviously, building a house is going to be expensive, and if you’ve gotten this far, you may already have enough to get the project going. However, you want to make sure that you have way more than enough, actually. When buying an existing home, mortgage lenders will line up to give you offers, but mortgages are almost nonexistent when it comes to new home construction. While the value is higher, it’s a lot more of a risk.

With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything you want in the home down to the smallest detail. This will help you get closer to the final amount of money that you’ll be spending, but it’s almost a guarantee that your estimate will not be anywhere close to the final price. It’s always better to have the money and not need it than vice versa.

Think of the Permits

Just because you purchased a piece of land doesn’t mean that you can dive on into your brand-new home project. Instead, you’ll need a permit for just about everything and you’ll have to make sure that your project is up to code. In most states, the bare minimum of permits that you’ll need is four, with those being electrical, building, mechanical, and plumbing.

When added up, those permits tend to cost around $3,000 alone. You’ll also want to check the zoning for the home. There may be ordinances or laws in your area that make it so that your home has to be of certain dimensions, can’t have a detached garage, etc. There are a lot of variables at play, so know what you can build before even buying the land.

Don’t Skimp on Foundation

Naturally, you shouldn’t just take the cheapest option for anything when building a home, but a lot of things that you do go cheap on can be renovated in the future. Things like windows and doors can be replaced easily, but one thing that you can’t redo without taking down the entire house is the foundation.

Make sure to check when looking into a piece of property how well a foundation is going to stay in place in that place. Then, make sure that you’re installing a foundation that’s going to be waterproof and last for many, many years. Pouring the foundation is obviously a project that you don’t want to take on yourself, either, which leads us to our next point.

Hire the Right People

While all of us have this grand dream that we’re going to build our own houses from scratch, the truth is that it takes a village. You’re going to need contractors for different parts of the house, from the foundation itself to the roofing. Always shop around in your area, read reviews, and talk to people that have used the contractors in the past. Sure, the good ones might be more expensive, but it will be worth it in the long run.

The most important contractors that you’re going to need are the electricians and the plumbers. These are two of the most vital pieces of any house, so it’s yet another thing where spending a lot more is probably going to be worth the investment because of the quality. You don’t want to feel left out and leave the constructors to do all of the work, though, leading to our last point.

Be Hands-On

Throughout the process of your home being built, there’s going to be the urge to arrive at the site every day. For others, though, they might just write blank checks and not show up until the house is completely finished. There’s a medium in between, though, and the rule of thumb is that you should show up once per week.

Don’t be afraid to offer some input and make suggestions while asking a ton of questions. After all, this is your home and likely costing you a lot of money. Don’t be overbearing, but make sure that you have a fingerprint on your project.