Coronavirus News (285)

Make Your First Home Your Last: The Case for Not Moving Up It’s a tough moment for big decisions. Think more about what you’ll want in three years — and not just three months, when we’ll still be shut in..............   With schools and businesses signaling that these conditions will extend at least through the spring ........... right now, with mortgage rates at record lows, it’s tempting to go as big as possible. ......... A more modest home can leave more money in the budget for travel, expensive hobbies, or a getaway abode by a lake or mountain. Living smaller also helps the environment. .......... over the past 20 years, the average increase for single-family homes priced at 125 percent or more of the median home price in their region is just 3.4 percent annually. For homes at the 75 to 100 percent level, the gain has been 4.3 percent. ......  A newer home — say, less than five years old — might require just 1 percent of the purchase price in annual expenses .......... But if your home is 25 years old or more, 4 percent is a better estimate ........... putting money into stocks over periods measured in decades should yield a better return. ........... More often, they have two rooms they rarely use. .......   An addition to your home might be possible — and cheaper than a move. .......... “The people who are generally the most happy are the ones who avoid the more, more, more and understand what is enough for them,” Mr. Wolniewicz said. “That takes courage, to stand firm on what your enough is, especially if it’s in contrast to what the world says you should want more of.”

Covid-19: Government identifying 30 crore who will get vaccine on priority  high-risk population and first responders — from healthcare workers to police, sanitation workers as well as the elderly and people with co-morbidities ......... around 50-70 lakh healthcare professionals, over two crore frontline workers, including police, municipal workers and armed forces, about 26 crore persons above 50 years of age and another set aged less than 50 but with co-morbidities.  

The World’s Largest Tropical Wetland Has Become an Inferno  This year, roughly a quarter of the vast Pantanal wetland in Brazil, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, has burned in wildfires worsened by climate change. ....... For centuries, ranchers have used fire to clear fields and new land. But this year, drought worsened by climate change turned the wetlands into a tinderbox and the fires raged out of control......... In places like California, small animals often take refuge underground during wildfires. But in the Pantanal, scientists say, fires burn underground too, fueled by dried-out wetland vegetation. .......... Now, biologists are braced for the next wave of deaths from starvation; first the herbivores, left without vegetation, and then the carnivores, left without the herbivores. ........ The ecosystem’s grasslands may recover quickly, followed by its shrublands and swamps over the next few years, said Wolfgang J. Junk, a scientist who specializes in the region. But the forests will require decades or centuries. ....... In less than 20 years, it found that the northern Pantanal may turn into a savanna or even an arid zone.   

How to Help Kids Open Up About Anything Tips for creating safe spaces and developing emotional intelligence in your children. ........... children feel more empowered “after their feelings have been validated.” ........... a “feelings check-in.” ......... Self-awareness, or knowing what you feel and how you feel it, is an important component of emotional intelligence ........... Showing children how to calm down, stay focused on a goal and remain optimistic despite setbacks is another aspect of emotional intelligence ......... When my daughter is frustrated and trying to explain herself, I make her take big breaths in and out before continuing. ...........   a safety circle. In this circle, we sit face to face to create a feeling of equalness. She is allowed to share anything with me without the fear of consequence — unless it is against one of our “limits,” which include stealing, hurting someone else, intentional lying, and not taking responsibility for her actions .................  even though she can express herself freely, she still has a responsibility to be a good person. .......... “If your child is crying, instead of assuming they are sad, ask descriptive questions around what they feel, how it happened, and why they feel as they do” ..“The child may discover that the emotion they feel is frustration instead of sadness. ” ..............   Once, she told me I spent too much time on my phone when we were supposed to be watching a movie together. Now, I limit checking my phone when we watch movies — even if we are on our 18th viewing of Frozen ..............  When situations may be too challenging for children to verbalize what they are experiencing, consider talking to your child in writing. My daughter and I keep a journal where we share our day-to-day thoughts. It allows her to express freely without interruption and helps her to read my thoughts as well. ..........  It is never too late to start opening new communication channels with your child