Month: June 2022

How to address an envelope: Your guide to sending a letter through the US Postal Service

Sending mail can be quite a task.

Maybe you want to put a personal touch on your communication with a handwritten letter to a loved one. After all, 70% of consumers say direct mail is more personal than interacting digitally.

Whatever your reason for sending mail, here’s how to make sure your letter doesn’t get lost in the 143 billion pieces of mail the U.S. Postal Service says it sorts each year.

How to address an envelope to mail within the United States

Even if seems tedious, addressing an envelope is simple.

On the side without the fold tab, write the address to which you’d like to send your mail in the center of the envelope in this format:

  • RECIPIENT NAME
  • STREET ADDRESS
  • APARTMENT/PO BOX NUMBER (if applicable)
  • CITY, STATE, AND ZIP CODE
  • COUNTRY

If you’re sending mail within the United States, it’s not required to put the country, but it never hurts to include this information.

On the same side of the envelope, write your return address with your own information in the top left corner in the same order as the recipient information above.

The Spruce suggests using black or blue ink and not using cursive writing. Print clearly to avoid having your letter go to the wrong address.

Your stamp goes in the top right corner. According to USPS, you can send any envelope weighing 1 ounce or less with just one Forever Stamp. Heavier parcels may require more stamps.

How to address an envelope for a business letter

To address a business envelope, simply add the name of the business between the recipient’s name and the street address, according to The Spruce.

It should look like this:

  • RECIPIENT/DEPARTMENT NAME
  • BUSINESS NAME
  • STREET ADDRESS
  • APARTMENT/PO BOX NUMBER (if applicable)
  • CITY, STATE, AND ZIP CODE
  • COUNTRY

As always, your return address should go in the upper left hand corner of the envelope.

According to Indeed, it is also customary to include your return address, email address and phone number, as well as the recipient’s address, in the top left corner of the letter.

How to address an envelope being sent outside the USA

According to the United States Postal Service, addressing an envelope for international mailing is very similar to mailing domestically. The information should go in this order, in all capital letters, written legibly with a pen or typewritten, according to the USPS.

  • RECIPIENT’S FULL LEGAL NAME
  • STREET ADDRESS OR PO BOX NUMBER
  • CITY/TOWN, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER SUBDIVISION (province, state, county, etc.) AND THE POSTAL CODE IF YOU KNOW IT
  • COUNTRY NAME (in English)

In the top left corner, you need a complete return address in the same format.

This article written by Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY

Source: How to address an envelope: Your guide to sending a letter through the US Postal Service (msn.com)

4th of July Crossword Puzzle

Fourth of July Fireworks for Independence Day

The Fourth of July is also called Independence Day. It is a federal holiday. Schools, banks, post offices, and government offices are closed on the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July is our most important national holiday because it celebrates the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence announced America’s independence from Britain. It was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence.

 

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Source: https://www.elcivics.com/esl_fourth_of_july.html

New Movies and Shows Coming to Netflix in July

Here’s an official guide for what’s new on Netflix in July 2022

New on Netflix on July 1

Stranger Things 4: Volume 2

A Call to Spy

Big Daddy

Blue Jasmine

Boogie Nights

Catch Me if You Can

Deliverance

Falls Around Her

Final Score

GoodFellas

I Am Legend

Insidious

LOL

Mean Girls

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Natural Born Killers

Old School

Police Academy

Semi-Pro

Seven

Snatch

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dirty Dozen

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Terminal

Vampires

Wyatt Earp

Zero Dark Thirty

New on Netflix on July 3

Blair Witch

New on Netflix on July 4

Leave No Trace

New on Netflix on July 6

Control Z: Season 3 

Girl in the Picture

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

King of Stonks 

Uncle From Another World 

New on Netflix on July 7

The Flash: Season 8

Karma’s World: Season 3 

VINLAND SAGA: Season 1

New on Netflix on July 8

Boo, Bitch

Capitani: Season 2

Dangerous Liaisons 

How to Build a Sex Room 

Incantation 

Jewel 

The Longest Night

Ranveer vs Wild With Bear Grylls

The Sea Beast 

New on Netflix on July 10

12 Strong

New on Netflix on July 11

For Jojo 

Valley of the Dead

New on Netflix on July 12

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks 

How to Change Your Mind 

My Daughter’s Killer

New on Netflix on July 13

Big Timber: Season 2

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! 

Hurts Like Hell 

Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres

Sintonia: Season 3

Under the Amalfi Sun

New on Netflix on July 14

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight

Resident Evil 

New on Netflix on July 15

Alba 

Country Queen

Farzar 

Love Goals (Jaadugar)

Mom, Don’t Do That!

Persuasion

Remarriage & Desires

Uncharted

New on Netflix on July 16

Umma

New on Netflix on July 18

Live Is Life 

My Little Pony: A New Generation: Sing-Along

StoryBots: Laugh, Learn, Sing: Collection 2: Learn to Read

Too Old for Fairy Tales

New on Netflix on July 19

David A. Arnold: It Ain’t for the Weak 

New on Netflix on July 20

Bad Exorcist: Seasons 1-2

Virgin River: Season 4 

New on Netflix on July 21

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 5

New on Netflix on July 22

Blown Away: Season 3

The Gray Man 

ONE PIECE

New on Netflix on July 25

Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 5

New on Netflix on July 26

August: Osage County

DI4RIES

Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl

Street Food: USA

New on Netflix on July 27

Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 4 

Dream Home Makeover: Season 3 

The Most Hated Man on the Internet 

Pipa 

Rebelde: Season 2 

New on Netflix on July 28

A Cut Above

Another Self 

Keep Breathing 

Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation

New on Netflix on July 29

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem: Season 2 

Case Closed: Zero’s Tea Time 

The Entitled

Fanático

Purple Hearts 

Rebel Cheer Squad: A Get Even Series 

Uncoupled

New on Netflix on July 31

The Wretched

Article by Kelsie Gibson for People©

Three easy ways to find hidden cameras in hotels and rental homes

Nearly 60% of Americans said they were worried about hidden cameras in Airbnb homes in 2019. And 11% of vacation home renters said they had discovered a hidden camera during a stay.

© Provided by CNBC

The number of hidden spy camera reports has proliferated because of the increasing accessibility and inexpensiveness of such cameras, combined with the public’s growing ability to detect them, said Kenneth Bombace, CEO of intelligence firm Global Threat Solutions.

Experts share simple methods to locate hidden spy cameras in hotel rooms and rental properties.

1. Conduct a physical search

When looking for hidden cameras, start with areas like bathrooms and bedrooms, Bombace said.

Airbnb hosts are allowed to have cameras in their houses, but they must inform guests and the cameras must not be placed in private spaces, he said.

Almost all covert cameras are concealed in household devices, such as lights, thermostats, and plugged clock radios, Bombace said.

“Look and see if anything looks like it’s out of the ordinary, and then inspect it closer,” he said.

Most spy cameras are connected to an electrical source or an electronic device, Bombace added.

He said the first thing he does in a bedroom is unplug the clock radios and put them in a drawer.

Michael O’Rourke, CEO of security consulting firm Advanced Operational Concepts, also said he does exactly that.

Even well-hidden cameras will have a small amount of reflective glass from the lens, Bombace said.

“If you use flashlights and shine them on something you think could possibly hide the camera, you will see a reflection in there, which is a pretty good way of detecting if there’s a camera,” he said.

But O’Rourke said care is needed to accurately locate hidden lenses.

“A lot of people will try to do amateur lens detection, which can work,” O’Rourke said. “However, if you don’t have a good search methodology — if you go too fast, if you’re impatient — you can miss quite a bit.”

2. Look at the Wi-Fi network

A hidden camera must be connected to a local Wi-Fi network in order to be viewed remotely, Bombace said.

Wi-Fi scanning apps like Fing can identify devices on the network that are cameras, he said.

Those who hide cameras might use a separate Wi-Fi network to stream live video footage, but Wi-Fi scanning apps can also detect how many networks are in a residence, Bombace said.

But Kody Kinzie, a security researcher at data security and analytics firm Varonis, warned that a network scanner may not catch everything.

“The next thing you can do is look for devices that are broadcasting their own network name,” he said.

He recommended using apps like WiGLE to find devices that are “broadcasting some sort of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi network name,” Kinzie added.

3. Buy a spy camera detector

If all else fails, spy camera detectors can scan for radio frequencies connected to hidden cameras. These can be easily bought online from websites like Amazon or AliExpress.

But O’Rourke noted this method works only if the hidden camera is transmitting data.

“So many of them now have SD cards that just store data to be retrieved after someone leaves,” O’Rourke said. “And so these are much more difficult to detect.”

What to do if you find a camera

After locating a camera, immediately disconnect it without damaging it because the camera’s firmware may contain identifying information, such as login credentials and the Wi-Fi network it was connected to, Kinzie said.

O’Rourke said hidden cameras found in hotel rooms should be reported to the front desk. He advised then moving to another hotel instead of requesting another room.

“Once you find a camera in a room, I wouldn’t trust any other room in that entire hotel,” he said.

Bombace also recommended reporting hidden cameras to the police, even if it is just for documentation purposes, in case litigation or criminal charges should follow.

“You could also provide [the report] to Airbnb so they can prevent this person from ever doing this again,” he said.

But ultimately, Bombace said, he would not avoid renting a home over fears of spy cameras.

“I would just take common sense steps to protect yourself. And realize you’re not in your own home,” he said.

Article by Chelsea Ong for CNBC©

Source: Three easy ways to find hidden cameras in hotels and rental homes (msn.com)

When to plant beets – for a healthy harvest through the year

Once you know when to plant beets you’ll be able to enjoy this delicious vegetable freshly grown throughout most of the year. 

© Provided by Homes & Gardens

Beets are a delicious root vegetable, which are dense with nutrients, including potassium, betaine, magnesium, folate, and Vitamin C, plus a good dose of nitrates.

There are so many ways the entire family can enjoy this tasty crop – it can even be used as a natural sweetener in a chocolate cake. With so many incredible recipes to choose from, once you know how to grow beets, they make a great addition to any home kitchen garden.

When to plant beets

The best time of year to plant beets very much depends on how you are starting them. You can either direct sow beets as part of your vegetable garden ideas or start them inside when you are planning a greenhouse and then transplant them out later on.

‘Beets are a fantastic early season crop when soils are just starting to warm up. Most varieties want to grow in cooler weather when the soil has thawed and frosts have stopped. For when to plant beets if direct seeding, you should wait until soil temps are around 44°F (7°C),’ advises Angelo Kelvakis, master horticulturist at Rise Gardens. 

However, you can also start seedlings indoors and transplant them out at a later date. This will give your beets a bit of an early start and could result in an earlier crop. Time the planting so you get successive crops of these and other veg by checking when to plant vegetables.

‘For transplanting – starting your seeds in a greenhouse, cold frame, or indoors – you can start them 5 weeks before the last frost and soil temps are still cold. Transplanting is a great way to ensure that your germination is successful,’ suggests Kelvakis.

What month do you plant beets?

The best month for when to plant beets can vary. Nick Welsh from Seed Craft advises to ‘succession sow from early spring to mid-summer,’ to ensure a long crop harvest. 

‘Beets are an amazing vegetable that are perfect for early and late season growing and can be stored after harvest for up to 6 months,’ adds Angelo Kelvakis. 

As beets only require a minimum of 44°F (7°C) soil temperature to germinate, they are quite hardy and therefore a brilliant crop to start early in the gardening year. 

‘Beetroot is among the easiest vegetables to grow, so you almost can’t go wrong as long as you have soil and water,’ reassures Nick.

How late can you start beets?

The latest time you can start beets will very much depend on your hardiness zone. 

As a general rule, Kelvakis suggests, ‘the last time of year for when to plant beets is when temperatures start getting hot. When the summer time hits, it’s time to take a beet break. Beets can handle soil temps up to 84°F (29°C). So be sure to monitor your soil temps with a soil thermometer in the summer time.’

An alternative is to plant beets in containers as part of your vegetable garden container ideas and then you can move the pots to cooler spots if the temperature rises.

If you’ve left it until late summer or fall to start planting your beets, ‘you can try using row covers – you can get them at most gardening stores and they can be placed over your crops to increase the air and soil temps. Row covers can get you another month or so of growing, depending on your setup and how cold it gets where you are growing,’ advises Kelvakis.

How long does it take to grow beets?

The length of time it takes for beets to grow and reach full maturity very much depends on the variety you are growing, as well as the specific soil conditions of your growing zone. 

Nick Welsh suggests you should ‘try to sow a different variety each time as this avoids a glut of just one type. There are so many great varieties out there to chose from,’ he says.

On average, beets take around 7-8 weeks from sowing to harvest.

Do beets like full sun?

Beets are a shade tolerant crop so are among the vegetables to grow in shade that will fare well in areas with less than 4 hours of sun a day. 

‘Don’t sow too many seeds as most beetroot are cluster seeds and each seed can produce up to 6 plants,’ Nick Welsh advises.

‘Do not thin out – just pull alternate roots allowing smaller ones to continue growing.’

Now that you know when to plant beets, you will be able to successfully grow them in your own kitchen garden and should be well on the way to harvesting an abundance of fresh produce.

Article by Emma Bailey for Homes and Gardens©

Source: When to plant beets – for a healthy harvest through the year (msn.com)

5 Breads Made From the Lowest Quality Ingredients

Despite what you may have been told in the past, you don’t have to give up bread in order to be healthy. If you don’t have a gluten intolerance or allergy, you can still consume it on a regular basis while simultaneously pursuing your specific health goals.

Bread is not the enemy, but it’s important to recognize that certain types are much lower quality than others. For example, many varieties of store-bought bread come packed with added sugars and preservatives to help it stay fresh on the shelf for long periods of time.

Continue reading to learn about some of the lowest-quality breads you may want to avoid next time you’re at the store. 

1. Wonder Bread Classic White

“White bread has all the nutrients processed out and is notoriously unhealthy. Additionally, this highly processed bread contains preservatives and other inflammatory ingredients,” says Morgyn Clair, MS, RDN, author at Fit Healthy Momma.

“If you do eat white bread or any other type of bread without having a digestive issue, then there is no need to avoid these products completely. However, when choosing between different types of breads, try to stick with those made with whole wheat flour instead of white flour so that you can feel better after eating them,” says Ronald Smith, RD.

2. Fran’s Thick Sliced Texas Toast

Texas toast is delicious, but buying packaged versions on grocery store shelves often leads to too many trans fats and sugar. According to Clair, this bread makes the list as one of the worst-quality choices. “This highly processed bread has tons of calories and very little fiber,” says Clair.

3. Pure Joy Cinnamon Bread

This cinnamon bread makes for a yummy treat, but you may want to think twice before making it a staple in your diet.

“This bread actually has frosting and lots of extra cinnamon sugar. I would treat this bread as a dessert and eat in very modest portions because there are over 240 calories in just one slice,” says Clair.

4. Marketside Vanilla Brioche

A slice of something like this vanilla brioche loaf may sound like a delicious way to start your day, but dietitians warn that you may want to only consume in moderation.

“This bread has more calories and sugar than many others. Generally, brioche-style bread has very little fiber and nutrients and is calorie-dense,” says Clair.

5. Sun Maid Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

And lastly, reaching for some packaged cinnamon raisin bread may be fine once and a while, but be careful if this is part of your daily routine.

“This bread has 8 grams added sugars and virtually no fiber or other nutrients. Also, there is not a lot of protein. Because of this, this bread is one of the worst-quality choices,” says Clair.

Article by Samantha Boesch for Eat This, Not That©

Source: 5 Breads Made From the Lowest Quality Ingredients (msn.com)

8 Chocolate Brands That Use the Lowest Quality Ingredients

Did you know that in America, as in many places, “chocolate” is actually a closely regulated term? It goes much beyond the flavor of a food, and instead, deals with the details of its composition. Under FDA rules—and numerous rules, at that—a foodstuff must meet strict criteria to call itself chocolate, though that varies based on what type of chocolate is in question.

To skirt the rules, many chocolate brands will use wording like “chocolaty” or “chocolate-flavored” in order to be able to use cheaper, stand-in ingredients. Here’s the thing: even within technically legal bounds, companies can still make chocolate cheaply. The secret? Usually, it’s just using a whole lot of sugar, oil, and HFCS alongside the genuine chocolate ingredients. Here are 8 chocolate brands that are using the lowest-quality ingredients.

1. Butterfinger Bars

Long marketed as “Crispety Crunchety Peanut-Buttery!” but never marketed as chocolate, these popular candy bars may taste chocolaty, but technically, there’s no chocolate to be found here. Butterfinger’s chocolate-adjacent coating is made with ingredients like corn syrup, vegetable oil, milk, and cocoa, but it does not meet the bar for being real chocolate.

2. Lindt Excellence 50% Cocoa Mild Dark Chocolate Bars

This candy bar may try to pose itself as a fancy, rich treat from a so-called “Master Chocolatier” brand, but take a closer look at the ingredient list than you do at the “50% Dark Cocoa” claim emblazoned on the wrapper. The first ingredient here is…sugar. And yes, chocolate comes second, but when sugar (or corn syrup) comes first, you’d do best to sink your teeth into something else.

3. Palmer’s Double Crisp Hearts

Here again is a candy that bills itself as “chocolaty” because it can’t call itself chocolate. These foil-wrapped Valentine’s Day staples are made with only one chocolate-like ingredient, and that’s “cocoa (processed with Alkali).” They also feature plenty of ingredients you’d likely rather not feature in your diet, like the artificial flavoring agent vanillin and hydrogenated vegetable oil.

4. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar, but there’s some misleading going on here. If you love the decidedly rich, fancy Cadbury chocolate you get in Europe, then these will be a letdown, as they are made in Pennsylvania Hershey’s under a license agreement from Cadbury. And while they are made with real chocolate ingredients, cocoa butter and all, note that there’s trickery on the label, too, which lists the first ingredient as “Milk Chocolate,” but then in a parenthesis shows that the first ingredient within “milk chocolate” is simply sugar.

5. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Delicious as they may be, it’s probably no surprise that these classic candy cups are so low-priced because they’re made with cheap ingredients. Yes, there is technically real chocolate here, but it’s milk chocolate, in which the first ingredient is sugar. And there’s also hydrogenated vegetable oil here, the go-to for companies looking to cut back on quantities of costlier cocoa butter.

6. Russell Stover Sugar Free Mint Patties

What these chocolate patties leave out in sugar they compensate for with a number of ingredients you’d do best to avoid. That’s things like maltitol, an artificially produced sugar alcohol, fractionated palm kernel oil and hydrogenated palm oil, sorbitol, and more. In short, when you cut out the sugar, you add in the chemicals–not always a good trade.

7. Hershey’s Syrup

Yes, it’s a classic you remember from countless glasses of childhood chocolate milk. No, it’s not a chocolate product. That’s why it says, “Genuine Chocolate Flavor” on the label of Hershey’s Syrup instead of saying “Chocolate Syrup.” The first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, the second ingredient is corn syrup, the third is water, and the fourth is cocoa. And the fifth? Sugar.

8. Tootsie Rolls

Sure, this chocolaty taffy candy has been around for more than a hundred years, but that’s a testament to the American sweet tooth, not to the quality of the candy. At best a chocolate-adjacent foodstuff, Tootsie Rolls consist of sugar, corn syrup, palm oil, condensed skim milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, and artificial and natural flavors. They barely touch the bar for being real chocolate and certainly don’t cross it.

Written by Steven John for Eat This, Not Tnat©

Source: 8 Chocolate Brands That Use the Lowest Quality Ingredients (msn.com)

The Dos (and a Big Don’t) of Pruning Repeat-Blooming Hydrangeas

There is so much to love about hydrangeas. Showy blooms, cottage appeal, what’s not to love? But add in those brand-new varieties with blooms that keep on hitting all summer long, like the grand finale at a fireworks show, and you’ve got some happy gardeners. While their bloom cycle is certainly appealing, the fact that they make it a little easier on their caretakers by blooming on both new and old growth makes them no-brainers. That means you can be a little more prune-happy and things could still fare okay. 

© Provided by Southern Living LeliaSpb/Getty

That being said, knowledge and restraint will get you far with this Southern-favorite flower. Give your reblooming hydrangeas their best shot at the ultimate summer floral show by pruning with care—not to mention at the right time. There are limits, after all, to even the most forgiving of varieties. 

Do: Prune in the Late Winter and Shape at the End of Summer 

Reblooming hydrangea varieties like ‘Limelight,’ ‘Endless Summer,’ and ‘Twist-n-Shout’ don’t discriminate when it comes to where their blooms originate. Old wood, new wood, it’s all the same if you’ve got that reblooming magic. For that reason, they aren’t as finicky with their pruning as the popular ‘Nikko Blue’ and other once-a-season bloomers that can miss out on their highly anticipated floral show if you prune too late. Reblooming hydrangeas should be pruned at the tail-end of winter or early spring in order to encourage lots of new growth. 

It will be time to give your hydrangea a little more attention once the summer starts to wane. “At the end of the blooming season, be sure to remove dead buds and stems, as well as shape the entire hydrangea while pruning,” says Dan Stuppiello, division merchandise manager of Live Goods at The Home Depot. Your get-ahead plan will make all the difference when next summer rolls along.

Do: Prune Flowers at the Right Spot 

Take stock of your stems before you get out the shears. According to Stuppiello, old blooms that have faded should be cut back just above new buds, so that you don’t lose any future blooms in the process. You’ll be rewarded with healthier flowers that are ready for their own moment in the sun. In order to keep the blooms coming, Stuppiello also recommends fertilizing. “An all-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer is good to use in the spring,” he says. And in response to the ever-popular color question, he shares: “Small amounts of sulfur will turn the bloom a deeper blue or pink color, however sulfur will not change the color of a true white hydrangea.”

Do: Cut Weak Stems

It’s not all about the blooms. Weak stems, dead branches, and browned-to-a-crisp leaves have all got to go as soon as they’re spotted. As for blooms that have their best days behind them, you should go ahead and take care of those too. “For these types of hydrangeas, it’s encouraged to prune almost immediately after their flowers have faded,” says Stuppiello. He recommends trimming just above the new buds to ensure you keep getting that season-long bloom time you’re after.

Don’t: Guess Which Variety You Have

Rule number one in caring for your hydrangeas: Know what you’re working with. “It’s important to cater to the needs of your hydrangeas and follow the plant tag instructions to ensure optimal growth for the following season,” says Stuppiello. You should be aware of what type and variety of hydrangea you have in order to best suit its needs—starting with where it’s planted. Know your zones, stay in your lane, and whatever you do, just make sure you’ve done your hydrangea homework.

Article by Patricia Shannon for Southern Living©

Source: The Dos (and a Big Don’t) of Pruning Repeat-Blooming Hydrangeas (msn.com)

Netflix CEO Reveals Which Subscribers Will Have To Watch Ads

Specific details of the forthcoming ad-based model were murky at the time of the announcement. Only a few months later, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos is finally giving the public a little more clarity on what to expect.

 Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos divulged that commercials will not be added to the current Netflix subscription plans. Instead, the new ad-based tier is intended to attract new subscribers who are not bothered by advertisements accompanying the content they’re watching.

The clarification should come as good news to current Netflix subscribers, who are currently paying either $9.99, $15.99, or $19.99 per month for the service. The prices are determined by such factors as the number of screens a subscriber chooses to watch programming on, and whether they want to watch the content on HD or Ultra HD.

Source: Netflix CEO Reveals Which Subscribers Will Have To Watch Ads (msn.com)

Edited for brevity.

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