Author: jackmartin

The San Francisco 49ers played a full team game for 60 minutes on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 31-13 to improve their record to 8-6.

San Francisco has now won five of their last six games, and they currently occupy the NFC’s second wild-card spot.

Jimmy Garoppolo had one of his best outings as a 49er, completing 18 of 23 pass attempts for 235 yards and a touchdown without taking any sacks. Jeff Wilson powered San Francisco’s vaunted rushing attack with 110 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

“He’s improved a ton,” Kyle Shanahan said of Wilson after the game, per Keiana Martin of the team’s official website. “We all know exactly what Jeff is. It’s not that he was ever just not good or anything, but it’s hard when you get hurt in OTAs and then return to practice in Week (9). So it’s taken a while to fully get his legs back. He’s been looking so much better these last few weeks and each week he’s gotten stronger and stronger.”

George Kittle led the way with six catches for 93 yards. 2021 breakout star Deebo Samuel contributed 29 rushing yards, a rushing score, and four receptions for 60 yards.

If the postseason started today, the 49ers would visit the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.

Kyle Shanahan’s group can clinch a playoff spot if they win each of their final three games, though that’s obviously easier said than done.

They’ll visit the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans on Thursday night (8:20 p.m. EST) before coming home for the final home game against the Houston Texans on Jan. 2. The regular season will conclude with an afternoon tilt against the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams a week later.

The 49ers are a three-point favorite against the Titans. Sportsbooks like BetMGM are currently offering new customers up to $1,000 in risk-free bets.

Kittle Close To Ending A 23-Year Team Drought

The 25-year-old Samuel sits at 1,088 receiving yards with three weeks to go. Kittle has 850, and if he can just get 150 more yards over the next three weeks, a 23-year 49ers team drought will finally come to an end.

As noted by Kyle Madson of 49ers Wire, San Francisco hasn’t had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers since 1998. If Kittle can hit that mark, he and Samuel will officially end that long-standing team drought.

Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens both crossed 1,000 yards in the 1998 campaign.

In 2019, Kittle racked up 1,053 receiving yards. Samuel finished with 802 in 15 games, so he was somewhat close to helping the 49ers end that drought.

Kittle has averaged 77.3 receiving yards per game thus far in 2021. He’s in an excellent position to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his career.

49ers Defense Accomplished Historic Feat vs. Falcons

 Per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers became the first team in 40 years to force an opponent to turn the ball over on downs within the 10-yard line on at least three occasions.

On Atlanta’s first drive, they faced a first-and-goal situation from the one-yard line. Cordarrelle Patterson’s touchdown run was called back following review, and Matt Ryan threw an incomplete pass on second down.

On third down, Patterson was stuffed at the one-yard line. Ryan then threw another incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal, giving San Fran the ball right back.

Early in the fourth quarter, Atlanta drove the ball down to the San Francisco eight-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-one situation, the Falcons handed the ball off to Patterson, who was stuffed for no gain.

The fourth turnover on downs took place with just over five minutes remaining. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the San Francisco one, Ryan missed Christian Blake in the end zone.

On one hand, the day was filled with missed opportunities for the Falcons. On the other hand, the San Francisco defense had perhaps it is best outing of the season under first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

And that five-star defensive performance has propelled San Francisco one step closer to the postseason.

Smoking is one of the fastest ways to damage your internal organs. With the continuous messages and lectures on smoking, most people understand that the habit negatively affects our health. This habit is so bad that it causes the highest number of preventable deaths in regions like the UK.

Doctors repeatedly advise Individuals who engage in smoking to quit the habit. Nevertheless, even though some smokers would like to get rid of the activity, the transition could prove more difficult than expected. That’s why several people are turning to vape.

Vaping is a great way for smokers to quit this bad habit safely and efficiently. Vaping has exploded in popularity recently, with many search engine queries centering on the best delta 8 cartridges to facilitate a better vaping experience. Below, you’ll see the best advantages related to vaping.

The Pros of Engaging in Vaping

• Vaping is Safer than Smoking

The fact that vaping is significantly better than smoking has been proven by numerous health research bodies like the American National Academies of Sciences. Studies estimate that vaping is at least 95% less damaging to health than smoking.

When a person engages in vaping, there’s no combustion and, thus, no smoke. The smoke is what gives off damaging compounds that lead to health issues. Vape juices come with significantly fewer chemicals than cigarette smoke and don’t linger in the body.

The benefits of not engaging in smoking include boosted health for the lungs and heart and heightened olfactory and taste senses. Vaping also lowers the blood pressure of an ex-smoker while increasing the person’s immune functions.

• Non-Existence of Horrible Smells

Vaping presents an advantage in smell since your clothes and car wouldn’t contain the smoke odor. Although vaping has its associated smell, it is very different from cigarettes. Research has shown that vapor from e-cigarettes gets broken down in less than a minute.

Comparatively, cigarette smoke can produce chemicals that linger in the surrounding air for half an hour. Cigarette smoke also tends to permeate fabric and fittings in a room. That brings about the tobacco smell in furniture and clothes in a smoker’s home.

When you engage in vaping, people around you might not even detect that fact since there’s no odor. This isn’t unusual since some of our things come with particular smells. Individuals can’t even differentiate between tobacco-flavored vapes and other vape types since they don’t smell of tobacco.

• Flexibility With Nicotine Consumption

Vaping allows users to control just how much nicotine they consume. Vape juice, which facilitates vaping in e-cigarettes, can be purchased depending on the level of strength you want. You have the freedom to choose between high, medium, and low-strength nicotine e-juices.

Several ex-smokers that engage in vaping typically begin with vape juices containing high nicotine and progressively decrease the nicotine intake over a certain period.

• Flexibility With Vapor Output

Vaping grants you better flexibility regarding vapor output, a factor that several vapers favor. A subset of vapers goes for smaller vaping devices to churn out smaller amounts of vapor; others like high-powered mods to produce large amounts of vapor.

Vaping allows you to control the power output and flow of air to influence the flavor you choose.

• Vaping is Less Expensive Than Smoking

It is estimated that smoking 20 cigarettes daily will take up about $3600 of your annual income. Considering the average smoker takes around 12 cigarettes daily, that’s a median of $2050 spent each year on smoking. The standard deviation for this price estimate is low since the cost of cigarettes across several regions is almost the same everywhere in the US.

While vaping comes with a higher initial cost than smoking, you tend to spend less money in the long run. This higher initial cost is due to purchasing vaping accessories like vaping cartridges. For a typical vaping device, you should start with around $35 for the accessories and then spend an estimated $100 each year to replace these accessories.

Vape juices amounting to 10ml can be purchased for less than $10. Typically, vapers go through 10 ml of e-juices each week, translating to an estimated $600 annually on vaping.

Even if you consume twice as much as the average vaper, which is unlikely, you’d only spend about $1200 on vaping. In comparison, this price level is considerably less than that of the average smoker.

• Vaping Provides Better Experience

In 2020, the EU banned flavored tobacco products, thus restricting the number of choices available to smokers. In comparison, vapers can select from tens of vape juices, thus improving their vaping experiences.

Smokers must head to non-smoking areas to facilitate tobacco cigarette smoking. You could also engage in vaping indoors since the activity isn’t banned. Since all businesses do not allow vaping indoors, you may have to check with them before you begin vaping on the premises.  

• Improved Customer Utility

Even though some high-quality vapes need experienced vapers to handle them, numerous vaping products are prefilled for instant use. When you want to vape through these readymade products, you must push a button or take a draw, depending on your chosen product.

Nevertheless, all vaping devices need to be charged and filled with vape juice to work. Most vaping devices, however, can take you through the day without needing to recharge or fill up on the juices.

Final Thoughts

In several quarters, smoking has been sounded like a damaging habit to your health. This is the main reason many smokers turn to vaping as a better way to ease their smoking habit.

The vaping experience has several advantages, including better health advantages than smoking, the non-existence of horrible smells, and flexibility of nicotine consumption.

Other benefits of vaping include improved customer utility, lower associated costs than smoking, and better control over vapor output.

Vaping has become big business in recent years as smokers turn to vape pens for safety and variety. Whether you are vaping CBD, cannabis or any other product there is a lot of choice when it comes to choosing your vaping device. Why are we talking specifically about batteries? The vape industry has pretty much standardised the type of battery it uses – known as 510 thread – which makes them interchangeable. The benefit is that some batteries do more than others!

Let’s have a look at how a vaporizer works, and then the reasons why you might wish to buy a more sophisticated battery than the standard one your vape device is fitted with.

How Does a Vaporizer Work?

A vaporizer can be one of many types, but all do the same thing: vaporize the substance you wish to ingest. Let’s take a simple vape pen, the most popular type of vape device. This consists of an outer casing that will house the controls. Within it is a compartment or cartridge for holding your vaping substance. There will also be a battery which heats a coil or atomizer. The latter can be made from different materials for varied effects.

Now when we talk about vape pen battery for cartridge use we mean a very small battery that heats the atomizer to the exact temperature at which the substance is vaporized. On a starter vape pen – the cheapest variety – the battery will more than likely have a single temperature setting. So, why would you want to change your battery?

Why Change the Battery?

When vape mod manufacturers researched trends in vaping they found that one thing people wanted was an adjustable voltage. Why is this necessary? If you can adjust the voltage of the battery, you can adjust the temperature at which the substance is atomized. The reason this is preferred is because different temperatures give a different flavor or strength of hit.

Manufacturers soon realized the demand for adjustable voltage batteries was great and began developing them. This is one reason why they settled on the 510 thread as the standard for all fitments that can be changed and upgraded on a vape device. You will find that some battery units come with three temperature settings, others with more, and that gives the user the ability to fine tune their hit to the strength they want.

It’s worth knowing that vaping gives a stronger flavor than smoking. There is no smoke to sully the taste, and no burning either. So, we recommend you check out different batteries for your vape device at a reputable online vape store, and you’ll be sure to find one that fits your needs. Now, before we go, there’s been a lot written about vaping and safety, so let’s cover that in brief before we close.

Is Vaping Safe?

The debate about how safe vaping is has gone on for years. Some will tell you it is perfectly safe, others the opposite. We can’t offer medical or scientific advice here, but what we can say is that vaping is certainly a safer alternative to smoking tobacco (or smoking any substance).

We know this because it is now well-known that the carcinogens that enter the lungs when smoking do so as a by-product of the burning itself. There is no burning with vaping, so that element is removed. If you ensure you buy your vape products – both devices and the substance you want to vape – from a reputable retailer you are ensuring the highest level of vaping, so start talking to a retailer now and see how you can enhance the experience with a new battery.

In 2020 the entire world underwent great change. The Covid-19 pandemic represented the biggest worldwide upheaval since World War II. Entire countries were effectively shut down. With travel restricted – even locally – in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus, commerce and industry had to act very quickly to rearrange working practices.

With offices, shops, and other business premises closed, the only option was for those who could to work remotely from home while persons in essential jobs were the only ones permitted in the workplace. It’s fair to say that had the pandemic occurred 30 years ago; the situation would have been far worse. What saved the day? Quite simply, affordable digital technology in personal computers, smartphones, and software packages and apps.

Some smaller businesses – especially those that involve a face-to-face meeting between a service provider and a customer – looked set to suffer badly. One of those was the education sector and, in particular, private and corporate tutoring. However, the industry rallied to the occasion, and now – thanks to having discovered the available software that enables online tutoring – many tutors are keeping this method as an option. Let’s look at why this is so and what you need to successfully run an online tutoring service.

Why Online Tutoring is Here to Stay

The move to online tutoring may have been forced, but it gave rise to the fact that this is a surprisingly efficient way of teaching. The tutor can present one-to-one or to a class using up-to-the-minute video conferencing software and apps. His tutor has choices, as do the students. They can also choose whether to present life or pre-record a session that the student can watch at their leisure.

For many tutors, the live presentation is the best method, and one-to-one is also preferred as it allows for two-way conversation that is not confused by many people talking at once. Now let’s look at some of the tools you need to enable tutoring online, includingbooking software for tutors that is one of the most important.

Tools You Need for Online Tutoring Success

The following tools should ensure that online tutoring is convenient for all delivery and receiving sides. Let’s talk first about online booking software for tutors.

Booking and Scheduling Software

Keeping a diary or calendar updated is essential, but also time-consuming. But there are booking software packages and apps that allow you to create a calendar in the cloud. Manual booking involves calls, emails or messages, and physically entering the booking in the calendar. This is then accessed by a password given to all the tutor’s clients.

What happens is that the tutor highlights every open block he or she has available in the cloud calendar. The students can then log into the calendar and choose a slot that is convenient to them. That slot is then closed, and the tutor is notified it has been booked, and a reminder may be sent to the student nearer the time. This method reduces no-shows and puts the onus on the student to choose the best slot.

Some of these packages and apps also have useful features for people working from home who are not necessarily tutors – perhaps personal trainers, for example, or counselors – and are certainly worth checking out.

Video Software – One on One and Group Sessions

The key to a successful online tutoring business lies in the quality of the software or app involved, which is especially true for video conferencing. This area of communication became very big business during the pandemic, with the likes of Zoom rocketing in demand. This was due to the growing number of remote workers.

Some of the booking systems we talked about include a video conferencing feature that can be one-to-one or group sessions. The tutor can also use this feature to run virtual classrooms as part of the tutoring package. These can be accessed by the student whenever they like, usually within set dates. This way, there is less chance of the student forgetting a session and falling behind.

Quality is paramount, as we said above, and you need a reliable broadband connection and won’t keep dropping out if this is to work smoothly.

Automatic Payment Reminders

One advantage of the booking and scheduling packages we mentioned is that they usually come with a payment portal. This will remind the tutor that they need to invoice students for their time or may do so automatically at a pre-set duration – perhaps fortnightly or monthly, for example. This sort of feature ensures that invoices are raised without the possibility of missing one and that payments are taken via the app directly into the tutor’s business account.

Reports and Certificates

At the end of your tutoring, you will want to issue your students with the relevant certificate and perhaps a report and assessment of how they have performed. If you are teaching a recognized body’s course, they may issue the certificates, but giving your students your own personal assessment is a nice touch. An editing and content app will enable you to create personal and uniquely branded certificates and documents to pass on to your students.

Conclusion

We have perhaps not covered all aspects of online tutoring, but the above are the major software, apps, and tools you need to run your business successfully. Whether you tutor many students or simply a select few, the situation remains the same, and the software and features described above remain important.

Whether you are looking to begin online teaching or are keen to make it an option that students can choose – and for many, it is the more convenient and cheaper method – we recommend you look for a package that includes most or all of the above, with the emphasis on remote booking and efficient video communications.

Southern California is rich in premier travel destinations. When living in Los Angeles, you have the opportunity to visit stunning cities so different from LA life, and they are only just a couple of hours away. Whether you want a short day trip with the family, a romantic weekend with your significant other, or easy transportation to a business conference, the best car service Los Angeles has to offer takes you to other cities, too.

Why Take a Car Service?

Los Angeles is notorious for its terrible traffic. The drivers are impatient, a little scary, and always in a rush to go somewhere. When planning a day trip, weekend getaway, or even business conference, navigating LA traffic is the last thing you want to add to your list of stressors. With a car service, you can relax in the back seat while a professional driver takes on the stresses of the road. You can use that time to catch up on work, take a nap, watch a movie, or just zone out as you watch the scenery go by.

Now you may be thinking, why not just fly? When traveling to a city that is a mere 4 hours away, or less, it is faster and more comfortable to travel by car. The alternative would be getting a ride to the airport, waiting the recommended two hours, hoping for an on-time departure, sitting through the flight itself, waiting again for your bags, and then driving to your accommodation. You will save yourself more time and hassle by taking the top car service Los Angeles has to offer.

The Best Places to Take a Car Service from Los Angeles

With the wide variety of premier destinations just a stone’s throw away, we have picked our four favorite locations to put at the top of your bucket list.

Car Service Los Angeles to Santa Barbara

Trip Time: 2 hours

Located on the California coastline, Santa Barbara is famous for its gorgeous stretches of beaches, delightful dining, and outdoor adventures. Solo travelers, couples, and families enjoy visiting Santa Barbara as a day or weekend trip to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Car Service Los Angeles to Palm Springs

Trip Time: 2 hours

Perched in the Sonoran Desert, Palm Springs is well known for its hot springs, golf courses, and luxury amenities. Due to its unique landscape, Palm Springs is a favorite for adventures at the waterfalls, on horseback rides, and even in the sky via tram, helicopter, or private plane.

Car Service Los Angeles to San Diego

Trip Time: 2 hours

San Diego is known for its breathtaking beaches, and for being a melting pot of culture with stunning art galleries, quirky shops, and delightful restaurants. It is a place where everyone will find something they love to do, from sunbathing on the beach to taking skydiving lessons.

Car Service Los Angeles to Las Vegas

Trip Time: 4 hours

Lights, glitter, and a wealth of possibilities draw countless people to Las Vegas every year. Whether you want to catch a show, hit the penny slots, or shop at the vast array of unique stores, Las Vegas is someplace everyone must go at least once. Being only a 4-hour drive away, Las Vegas is an ideal weekend getaway or conference location for Los Angeles residents.

Other Quick Trips!

When planning a car service trip, the possibilities are endless. We recommend adding these destinations to your bucket list:

• Los Alamos
• San Juan Capistrano
• Balboa Island
• Ojai
• Oak Glen
• Temecula