Source: consumerist.comThe average worker in the U.S. currently coughs up over $20 a week on coffee, working out to a grand total of $1,092 annually.
Alcohol Use Costs States Billions and Your PeroBudget ThousandsSource: usnews.comThe average college student spends over $1000 a year on beer. While doing that they consume 77,000 empty calories. When
that habit continues, it ends up costing your State billions of
dollars. How? Most often, the hidden cost of drinking alcohol came
from:
Health care expenses
Motor vehicle crash costs
Property damage
Decreased workplace productivity
Criminal justice expenses
How Smoking Affects the BodySource: youtube.comIn
2014, a packet of 20 cigarettes costs around $18.70. That means if you
smoke a pack a day you will spend more than $5,000 a year on cigarettes. As a result of smoking, many Americans pay over $10,000 a year more than they need to dealing with:
Life
Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of dying at a younger age than
non smokers and this risk is reflected in higher life insurance premium
payments.
Health Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of
medical problems than non smokers and this risk is reflected in their
medical insurance premium payments.
Health Care: Since smokers
frequently have more medical problems than non smokers, they must pay
more to take care of these problems.
Medications: More medical problems for smokers usually results more prescription medicine taken by smokers than non smokers.
Home
Owner's Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of burning down their
house than non smokers and this risk is reflected in higher home owner's
insurance premium payments.
Value of the House: Smoking leaves a bad smell in a house thus decreasing the value to potential buyers.
Value
of Your Possessions: Just as with the house, smoking leaves a bad smell
to many of the items in your house thus decreasing their value.
Car
Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of getting into a car accident
than non smokers and this risk is reflected in their car insurance
premium payments.
Car Resale Value: Smoking leaves a bad smell
in a car thus decreasing the value to potential buyers or when traded-in
for another car.
Earn Less Money: Studies have found that smokers earn between 4% to 11% less money than their non smoking counterparts.
Less
Social Security / Pension Benefits: Since smokers earn less than non
smokers, they receive less overall social security and pensions benefits
than non smokers.
Cost of Cleaning: Whether its the inside of
their home, the inside of their car or their clothes, smokers have to
spend more to keep things clean.
Dental Care: Smokers spend more on dental care and special dental products than non smokers.
Lost Interest: All the extra money that smokers must spend means that money can't be saved resulting in lost interest.
Smoking
affects your body in a number of negative ways which include premature
aging, respiratory problems and an increase in risk for heart disease,
vascular disease, stroke and cancer. This video will show you: HOW TO
quit smoking, HOW TO talk to your doctor HOW TO ask medical questions
How Americans Spend Their Money on Things They Don't NeedSource: mentalfloss.comAmericans
spend nearly $11 trillion shopping each year. With that much dough, you
could buy over 2000 aircraft carriers, 300 private islands, and still
have money left over for a latte. Here’s a taste of the things we
bought—and how much we spent on them. While we spend nearly $500 billion grocery shopping, you won't believe how much is spent on things we don't really
Source: youtube.comSugar.
It's in everything! Is it good for us? Well, the sugar industry thinks
so. However, the World Health Organization says a healthy adult should
only have six teaspoons of sugar per day or 100 total calories from
their daily diet.
For perspective:
The average American consumes 22 teaspoons per day (not 6 as recommended.)
A 12 oz Soda has 140 calories (40 more calories than the recommended amount.)
Americans spend nearly 3 billion dollars on Halloween alone each year.
Sugar makes you fat, it specifically makes your belly fat.
Sugar causes heart disease by changing the muscle protein of the heart.
We
often think of addiction in terms of harmful drugs, but our everyday
relationship with our dependence on sugar, television, alcohol, fossil
fuels and other modern luxuries takes its toll on our wallets and our
overall health.
How Many Years Is Drinking, Drugs and Smoking Shaving off Your Life?Source: dailymail.co.ukNew website has calculated the cost of an addiction in years and hours.
Smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes a day cuts ten years off a person's life
Drinking two or more alcoholic drinks every day cuts 23 years off a life
Cocaine addicts lose up to 34 years, with each dose costing 5.6 hours
Methadone users cut their lives by 38 years, and die at an average age of 41
A heroin addiction will cut 42 years off a person's life, killing them at age 38
Lifetime methamphetamine users lose 42 years, each dose costing 11 hours
Sex educator Megan Maas has the scoop on 10 apps that can be very dangerous for your kids, and what you need to know about them.
You may be thinking your kids are downloading apps because they are
just a simple way for them to keep in contact with their friends. This
is certainly true for most kids, but unfortunately, even innocent use of
most of these apps can land a kid in a situation he/she never intended
to be in. Here are some apps that are popular among kids and why they
are potentially problematic for them:
1. Tinder: An app that is used for hooking-up
and dating. Users can rate profiles and find potential hook-ups via GPS
location tracking. 450 million profiles are rated every day! The good
news is, this app pulls information from user’s Facebook profiles, so it
is more authenticated than other apps.Problem: It is easy for adults and minors to find one
another. Also, due to the rating system, it is often used for
cyber-bullying, because a group of kids can target another kid and
purposefully make his/her rating go down. 2. Snapchat: This app allows a user
to send photos and videos to anyone on his/her friend list. The sender
can determine how long the receiver can view the image and then the
image “destructs” after the allotted time.Problem: It is the #1 app used for sexting, mostly
because people think it is the safer way to sext. However, the “snaps”
can easily be recovered and the receiver can take a screen shot and
share it with others. Also, a lot of images from Snapchat get posted to
revenge porn sites, called “snap porn.” 3. Blendr: A flirting app used to
meet new people through GPS location services. You can send messages,
photos, videos, rate the hotness of other users, etc.Problem: There are no authentication requirements, so
sexual predators can contact minors, minors can meet up with adults. And
again, the sexting.
4. Kik Messenger: An instant messaging app
with over 100 million users that allows users to exchange videos, pics
and sketches. Users can also send YouTube videos and create memes and
digital gifs.Problem: Kids using the app for sexting and sending
nude selfies through the app is common. The term “sext buddy” is being
replaced with “Kik buddy.” Kids use Reddit and other forum sites to
place classified ads for sex by giving out their Kik usernames. Also,
Kik does not offer any parental controls and there is no way of
authenticating users, thus making it easy for sexual predators to use
the app to interact with minors. 5. Whisper: Whisper is an anonymous
confession app. It allows users to superimpose text over a picture in
order to share their thoughts and feelings anonymously. However, you
post anonymously, but it displays the area you are posting from. You can
also search for users posting within a mile from you.Problem: Due to the anonymity, kids are posting pics of
other kids with derogatory text superimposed on the image. Also, users
do not have to register to use Whisper and can use the app to
communicate with other users nearby through GPS. A quick look at the app
and you can see that online relationships are forming through the use
of this app, but you never know the person behind the computer or phone.
Sexual predators also use the app to locate kids and establish a
relationship. One man in Seattle, Wash., was charged with raping a 12-year-old girl he met on this app in 2013. 6. Ask.fm: Ask.fm is one of the
most popular social networking sites that is almost exclusively used by
kids. It is a Q&A site that allows users to ask other users
questions while remaining anonymous.Problem: Kids will often ask repeated derogatory
questions that target one person. Due to the anonymity of the badgering,
it creates a virtually consequence-free form of cyber-bullying. Ask.fm
has been associated with nine documented cases of suicide in the U.S. and the U.K. 7. Yik Yak: An app that allows
users to post text-only “Yaks” of up to 200 characters. The messages can
be viewed by the 500 Yakkers who are closest to the person who wrote
the Yak, as determined by GPS tracking.Problem: Users are exposed to and are contributing
sexually explicit content, derogatory language and personal attacks.
Although the posts are anonymous, kids start revealing personal
information as they get more comfortable with other users. 8. Poof: This app allows users to
make other apps “disappear” on their phone. Kids can hide any app they
don’t want you to see by opening the app and selecting other apps.Problem: It’s obvious, right? Luckily, you can no
longer purchase this app. But, if it was downloaded before it became
unavailable, your child may still have it. Keep in mind that these types
of apps are created and then terminated quickly, but similar ones are
continuously being created. Others to look for: Hidden Apps, App Lock
and Hide It Pro. 9. Omegle: This app is primarily
used for video chatting. When you use Omegle, you do not identify
yourself through the service. Instead, chat participants are only
identified as “You” and “Stranger.” However, you can connect Omegle to
your Facebook account to find chat partners with similar interests. When
choosing this feature, an Omegle Facebook App will receive your
Facebook “likes” and try to match you with a stranger with similar
likes.Problem: Sexual predators use this app to find kids to
collect personal information from in order to track them down more
easily in person. 10. Down: This app, which used to be called Bang With Friends,
is connected to Facebook. Users can categorize their Facebook friends
in one of two ways: They can indicate whether or not a friend is someone
they’d like to hang with or someone they are “down” to hook-up with.Problem: Although identifying someone you are willing
to hook-up with doesn’t mean you will actually hook-up with them, it
creates a hook-up norm within a peer group. Depending on your sexual
values, this might be something you don’t want for your child. Also,
because of the classification system, a lot of kids will feel left out
or unwanted, which can lead to anxiety, etc. The most important thing you can do as a parent to protect your
children from dangers that are associated with the use of these apps is
to talk with them frequently about their social lives. You can start by establishing yourself as an approachable parent and talking with them early and often about sexuality
and romantic relationships. Without a strong bond and open
communication, trying to regulate and monitor Internet use won’t be very
effective. However, setting technology boundaries (when and where they
access the Internet) and monitoring their online behavior can be
effective if you have a strong foundation to build on. You can access a
list of monitoring software I recommend here.
Just remember to keep on top of it, there is no software that can
eliminate risk or the need to parent. Ultimately, your goal is to raise
an individual who can manage his/her online and offline behavior in a
healthy way because he/she wants to. The process starts with you
nurturing a strong emotional bond, leading by example and setting the
boundaries. You can do it!
When you think of the word “Philanthropist“,
people such as Bill & Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett & Oprah
Winfrey may come to mind. These are just a few of the many super rich
that have devoted their lives to changing the world for the better
through the riches and Success they have made over their lives. Read
on to see the list of the Top 25 Richest Millionaires & Billionaires
giving away their money to make this world a better place.
Billionaires Giving Away Money
#25 Lee and Jane Seidman
Amount donated in 2010: $42 million
Net worth: Not available
Beneficiary: University Hospitals in Cleveland
Background: Seidman is the retired founder and
president of the Motorcars Group, a Cleveland-based conglomerate of car
dealerships. He pledged in 2010 to give away 90% of his wealth before the end of the year.
Background: Ellison, the founder of Oracle, started his foundation in 1997 for biomedical research.
#23 Bennett S. LeBow
Amount donated in 2010: $49 million
Net worth: Not available Beneficiary: Drexel University
Background: LeBow is the chairman and CEO of Borders
and chairman of the Vector Group, a holding company for manufacturers
of cigarettes. He’s a graduate of Drexel and the university’s business
school bears his name.
Background: Dr. Vagelos is the former CEO and
chairman of pharmaceutical giant Merck. He’s an alumnus of the medical
school associated with the hospital.
#19 (tie) Paul Ichiro Terasaki
Amount donated in 2010: $50 million
Net worth: Not available Beneficiary: University of California at Los Angeles
Background: Dr. Terasaki is a pioneer in the field of organ transplant medicine.
In 1946 he developed the test that became the international standard
method for tissue typing. He conducted his research in the
university’s laboratories.
Background: Hsieh founded AMAX Information
Technologies, a computer server and storage systems maker, and Cogent,
which develops automated fingerprint-identification systems. He’s a graduate of the school, as well as a trustee.
#19 (tie) Ned Evans
Amount donated in 2010: $50 million
Net worth: $6.5 billion (via Boston Magazine) Beneficiary: Yale University
Background: Evans, who passed away last year, was a
private investor and the chairman of publishing company Macmillan from
1979 to 1989. He was also a well-known horse breeder, as well as an
alumnus of Yale.
#18 Charles E. Kaufman
Amount donated in 2010: $53.3 million (estimated bequest)
Net worth: Not available
Beneficiaries: The Pittsburgh Foundation and other charities
Background: Kaufman, who passed away last year, was
an investor and the former director of purchasing at pharmaceutical
company Merck. His gift will support research in biology, chemistry,
and physics
Background: Ackman is the founder of New York-based hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Along with his wife, he created the Pershing Square Foundation in 2006 to support education, human rights, social entrepreneurship, and other causes.
Beneficiaries: HopeLab, Humanity United, Omidyar Network, and the Ulupono Initiative Background: Omidyar is the founder of eBay. His wife is the chairwoman of HopeLab, a nonprofit that develops technology to benefit chronically ill children.
#15 Henry C. Jr. and Jane Woods
Amount donated in 2010:$67 million (bequest) Net worth: Not available
Beneficiaries: Lawrenceville School and North Shore Country Day School Background: Woods is the heir to the Sahara Coal
Company fortune. The bulk of last year’s donation went to the
Lawrenceville School, a private school in New Jersey from which he graduated and where he was a longtime teacher and chair of the English department.
#14 David and Patricia Atkinson
Amount donated in 2010: $80 million
Net worth: Not available
Beneficiary: Cornell University Background: Atkinson is a former partner of Miller,
Anderson & Sherrerd, a money management firm. He now runs Atkinson
& Company, a private investment business he owns with his wife.
Their gift went towards a research center focusing on energy, sustainability and the environment.
#13 Juanita Kious Waugh
Amount donated in 2010: $83.7 million (estimated bequest)
Net worth: Not available
Beneficiaries: The Mayo Clinic, Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana Background: Waugh, who passed away last year,
managed her family’s farms and was the heir to part of their cattle,
farming and banking fortune. She and her parents had been patients of the Mayo Clinic.
Background: Pegula founded East Resources, an oil
and gas exploration and development company, which he sold to Royal
Dutch Shell in 2010 for $4.7 billion. The donation from Pegula, an
alumnus, will go towards the university’s hockey program.
#10 (tie) Mark Zuckerberg
Amount donated in 2010: $100 million
Net worth: $17.5 billion (via Forbes) Beneficiary: Startup: Education
Background: Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook,
made a huge donation to his own foundation, which will support programs
that benefit the school system in Newark, N.J. The sum will be paid
out over five years.
Beneficiary: University of California at San Francisco Children’s Hospital Background: Benioff is the founder of Salesforce.com. His daughter was born at the hospital, and he is a member of its board.
#9 Meyer and Renee Luskin
Amount donated in 2010: $100.5 million
Net worth: Not available
Beneficiary: University of California at Los Angeles
Background: Luskin is the chairman of Scope Industries, a major maker of animal feed. He is a graduate of UCLA and the couple’s gift will go towards a variety of academic programs.
Beneficiaries: Oklahoma State University and other charities
Background: The founder of oil company Mesa
Petroleum and energy investment firm BP Capital, Pickens is a graduate
of OSU. His donation will endow need-based scholarships for students.
#7 Frances Lasker Brody
Amount donated in 2010: $110 million (estimated bequest)
Net worth: Not available Beneficiary:The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Background: Brody, who passed away in 2009, was the
heir to both the fortune of her father, an advertising pioneer, and her
husband Sidney Brody, a real estate
magnate. She was a member of the library’s board of overseers, and her
donation was largely funded by the sale of her vast art collection.
Background: Blavatnik is the founder of Access Industries, a major holding company. He did not attend Oxford, but decided the university was the right choice after learning that it wanted to create a school dedicated to “improving government and public-policy practices globally.”
Background: Broad is the founder and chairman of
homebuilder KB Home Corporation and financial services company
SunAmerica. The couple’s foundation supports civic programs,
contemporary art museums, education, and medical and scientific
research. Broad is also funding a new art museum in Los Angeles.
Beneficiaries: University of California at San Diego
Health System, Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fund at the Jewish Community
Foundation of San Diego Background: Jacobs is a co-founder of Qualcomm, the
wireless communications company. The bulk of their donation went to the
UCSD health system, which is building a new medical center to be named after the couple.
Beneficiaries: Sanford Health Foundation, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and the Florida Hospital for Children Background: The noted philanthropist is chairman of United National Corporation, a banking business in South Dakota. His most recent gift to his foundation will establish a national institute for research and treatment of breast cancer.
Beneficiaries: Arts, human services, public affairs, and other groups Background: The founder of Bloomberg LP and Mayor of
New York city gave to 970 different nonprofit groups in 2010. Since
2004, the first year the Philanthropy list was published, he has given away well over $100 million annually.
Beneficiary: Open Society Foundations Background: Soros is a financier and the chair of
Soros Fund Management, which manages hedge funds. He’s also the founder
of Open Society Foundations, which supports human rights organizations
and democratic institutions.
