VACATION

Joanna Jedrzejczyk celebrates vacation as a ‘Florida girl’

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Retired UFC fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk celebrates her final days in Florida. Pic credit: @joannajedrzejczyk/Instagram

Retired UFC fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk may be a Polish-born citizen, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be a “Florida girl.”

The mixed martial artist, 35, has been enjoying her time since she retired from UFC last year, but she’s still staying in tip-top shape.

Taking a break from the cold winters in Europe and in a lot of the United States, Joanna spent some time at Jupiter Beach, Florida, and was dressed very appropriately for the occasion.

She took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a few photos with her devoted followers as she gave a bold smile to the camera. She was surrounded by crisp and clear blue skies and palm trees, the warmth palpable from the photo.

She kept her dark locks down and back as they flowed in the breeze and appeared to go makeup-free with just a minimal bracelet and dainty necklace on for accessories.

Her dark blue Daisy Dukes were offset by her pastel bikini top as she posed for the camera, even leaning forward to get closer to the lens and share her infectious grin.

Her caption read, “Last days in Florida,” with a slew of tropical emojis and the hashtag #floridagirl.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk still trains with boxing

Although she might not be in the ring for UFC anymore, Joanna still spends her time keeping in shape with a variety of exercises, including boxing.

The MMA fighter is frequently spotted in the gym near a punching bag or other exercise equipment used to train punches and kicks for hand-to-hand fights.

Earlier this year, she mimicked some of her best swings

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TRAVELLING

Time travel to the past possible? This theory shows how

We have all watched movies that deal with the subject of time travel. Most of the time, such movies use an exotic element of physics, such as wormholes, faster-than-light speed (warp drives) and other similar mechanics. There are a huge number of movies on the subject with ‘Back to the Future’, really standing out as the perfect flick. But our current understanding of physics does not support any of these elements as viable methods of time travel. However, there is one theory that has not been disproven by science and it is probably the only way this science fiction can exist, albeit it would limit us to only time travel to the past. And that is the theory of a rotating universe, given by the mathematician Kurt Godel in 1949. Let’s take a closer look at how time travel would work as per this theory.

Kurt Godel was a logician, mathematician, and philosopher. And one of the notable works of his life was the formulation of a rotating universe. To describe this universe, he used the language from Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The main purpose of this theory was to highlight that general relativity was not complete in itself and there were gaps that this parallel theory could fill in.

Time travel and rotating universe

Let’s take a closer look at this theory. The theory spoke of a universe which was rotating, much like our planets rotate along its axis. It deviates from our current understanding of the universe where we believe that it is expanding and planets, solar systems and even galaxies are constantly in motion.

However, in Godel’s theorem, the universe, instead of moving, keeps rotating. He also imagines a negative constant that resists the centrifugal force to keep the universe static. Now,

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VACATION

Dear Abby: Mom takes over our house every time we go on vacation

DEAR ABBY: Whenever my husband, kids and I go away, my mother-in-law insists on staying at our house. She then rearranges the rooms in my house, moving things to where she thinks they should be. She also manages to leave behind her toiletries in the bathroom.

More than once she has thrown a party for her friends during our absence. It drives me crazy. Going on vacation stresses me out because I have no idea what I’m going to come home to. When my husband tells her I don’t like when she rearranges things, she gets defensive and cries about how she “can’t understand why I hate her.” I don’t hate her; I just wish she would respect my boundaries in my house. Advice? — INVADED IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR INVADED: I’m glad to provide some. The next time your MIL insists on housesitting while you are on holiday, say you have made other arrangements and do not waver. (If necessary, change the locks.)

DEAR ABBY: My husband had a stroke five years ago. I’ve been taking care of him ever since. I recently found out that he cheated on me. I want to get him into a VA home. What form would I need? I’m hoping to avoid a messy divorce. I’m fine if we stay married but no longer live together. He accuses me of “not doing anything.” Our house is paid for and we have no debts. Our daughters are grown and live elsewhere. Should I contact an attorney? — WANTS OUT IN THE SOUTH

DEAR WANTS OUT: By all means, contact an attorney. You have a responsibility for your husband’s welfare. Abandoning him to a VA home may not be the best solution for HIM, even though it may seem like a convenient one for you.

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VACATION

Dear Abby: Mother-in-law rearranges my house when we go on vacation

DEAR ABBY: Whenever my husband, kids and I go away, my mother-in-law insists on staying at our house. She then rearranges the rooms in my house, moving things to where she thinks they should be. She also manages to leave behind her toiletries in the bathroom.

More than once she has thrown a party for her friends during our absence. It drives me crazy. Going on vacation stresses me out because I have no idea what I’m going to come home to. When my husband tells her I don’t like when she rearranges things, she gets defensive and cries about how she “can’t understand why I hate her.” I don’t hate her; I just wish she would respect my boundaries in my house. Advice? — INVADED IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR INVADED: I’m glad to provide some. The next time your MIL insists on housesitting while you are on holiday, say you have made other arrangements and do not waver. (If necessary, change the locks.)

DEAR ABBY: My husband had a stroke five years ago. I’ve been taking care of him ever since. I recently found out that he cheated on me. I want to get him into a VA home. What form would I need? I’m hoping to avoid a messy divorce. I’m fine if we stay married but no longer live together. He accuses me of “not doing anything.” Our house is paid for and we have no debts. Our daughters are grown and live elsewhere. Should I contact an attorney? — WANTS OUT IN THE SOUTH

DEAR WANTS OUT: By all means, contact an attorney. You have a responsibility for your husband’s welfare. Abandoning him to a VA home may not be the best solution for HIM, even though it may seem like a convenient one for you.

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ADVENTURE

Faith and Values: Detours in life are God’s invitation to adventure

This winter, on our first day in Kauai, we needed to take a bus to get our rental car, which was an hour away. Luggage beside us, we waited for the bus to arrive. It was a 30-minute wait, and we got to enjoy some warm weather that contrasted greatly with the minus 4 weather in Pullman.

During our wait, a 25-year-old woman sitting across from us started pacing around – getting up, sitting down, getting up, walking around, picking up leaves, throwing them in the trash and, then, sitting back down again. She was sweating profusely, and she looked anxious.

When she calmed down a little bit, she looked at us and started talking about her mental health problems, specifically her anxiety and schizophrenia. She talked about how walking and picking up leaves helped ease and soothe her anxiety. She talked about being homeless at one point in her life, the baby she had who died four days after birth and the baby’s father who had done no good in their lives. We only asked a few questions about her life, but they were enough for her to share bits and pieces of her story.

The bus arrived on time, and our conversation ended. We parted ways not knowing each other’s names. (P.S. We bumped into her at Walmart a few hours later and exchanged names!) Then, we approached the bus. Yet, lo and behold, the bus driver didn’t allow us to get on because our suitcases were too big to fit inside. We offered to pay for extra seats to put our luggage, and it was still a no.

Lord, why? We waited for 30 minutes. We need transportation to pick up our rental car.

I kept my frustrations to myself, and we started looking for an

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HOTEL

The Best Time to Book a Hotel to Save Money

The early bird doesn’t always get the worm.

<p>Flashpop/Getty Images</p>

Accommodations are one of the biggest travel expenses out there, sometimes ending up even more costly than transportation. So it’s never a bad idea to maximize your savings when booking a hotel. One way to do that is to book at the right moment. Hotel prices are dynamic, fluctuating based on supply and demand — that means the price you see when you’re searching for hotels one day might change the very next, even if the dates of your stay remain the same. So, when is the best time to book a hotel? Read on to find out.

Related: The Best Time to Book a Flight for Domestic, International, and Summer Travel

<p>Frank Rothe/Getty Images</p>

When to Book a Hotel to Save Money

Figuring out the best time to book a hotel isn’t an exact science — there’s plenty of variation throughout the industry. But if we’re looking at statistics, the lowest prices for hotel rooms are typically found just 15 days before your stay. Yes, last-minute bookings are (usually) better. A 2022 NerdWallet study analyzed more than 2,500 hotel room rates from 2019 through the first half of 2021 and found an average of 13 percent savings for those who booked 15 days in advance as compared to those who booked four months in advance.

Keep in mind this is just an average and doesn’t take into account busy travel periods, such as the holidays, when you should definitely book in advance. And according to data from the travel app Hopper, the 15-day benchmark is a good one for big business cities, such as New York and Chicago, but it’s not as accurate for vacation destinations like the Caribbean or Hawaii. In those destinations, Hopper notes that hotel rates are usually lowest about

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TRAVELLING

Little Rescue Dogs’ Visit to an Assisted Living Home Tugs at the Heartstrings

The residents were so thrilled to see the pups.

TikTok user @adoptingdogs usually highlights dogs from the Wayne County Dog Shelter in his videos, but this most recent one is a little different. That doesn’t mean it’s just as sweet!

This TikToker decided to visit a local assisted living home and bring along two rescue dogs. Wick is his dog and Fred is his mom’s, but both were rescued. Watch the residents‘ reactions to seeing these adorable doggos. It’s beyond beautiful!

View the original article to see embedded media.

O.M.G. They should’ve posted this with a warning because we’re crying over here! Happy tears, of course, because this is so precious. Both the dogs and the residents were having the time of their lives.

“That’s a great thing to do! My dad was in memory care and always loved the dogs that came to visit!” wrote @dianekohler655. Who doesn’t love a dog visit?! And you can just see the dogs were loving all the attention. A win-win for everyone!

@getgoinggirl commented, “You’re so very special for sharing your fur babies.” And he probably has no idea how much this truly means to those residents. “Thank you for doing this! It takes no time and makes a world of difference. Everyone, please do this if you can!” said @dev01284. Retweet! You don’t have to be there all day. Any amount of time will go such a long way.

Don’t miss another headline from PetHelpful! Follow us on Google News by clicking the star in the top right hand corner for the latest updates curated just for you.

Do you have a pet who’s funny, smart, full of personality, or just downright adorable? We’d love for you to submit a video of your fur baby for a chance to be

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VACATION

Microsoft to give employees unlimited vacation days

Microsoft is reportedly doing away with the number of vacation days employees can take under the company’s new “Discretionary Time Off”, or DTO policy.

“It’s another name for unlimited paid time off,” says HR specialist and NY Post career advice columnist Greg Giangrande. “And the reason why companies do that is to shift the burden and shift the responsibility to employees to manage their own time, where the employer doesn’t have to keep track administratively.”

According to time-off-2023″the Verge, Microsoft’s U.S. workforce, which is around 122,000 employees, can now take as much time off as they want. 

They’ll also get 10 corporate holidays, along with the standard allotted sick time and bereavement, and in addition to COVID-19 sick pay. Some employers in the state are required to provide at least five or 14 days of job protection and pay for those who contract the virus.

“So for many employers, they’re looking at having to pay out millions of dollars to people who leave the company when they leave, and if you have unlimited time, there’s no accrued time. So you essentially take that liability down to zero,” Giangrande adds.

While employees no longer have to ‘use it or lose it’, the DTO has to be approved by a manager. Giangrande adds while the policy gives workers more control, it’s not without its downsides.

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VACATION

Unlimited Vacation Time: How Do PTO Policies Work in Practice?

The disparities are profound: A 2021 report from the Economic Policy Institute showed that two-thirds of workers in low-wage jobs didn’t have access to paid sick days even during the pandemic; a 2022 report from the Center for American Progress detailed that 37% of Black women who need leave don’t take it, and many have to go on leave without pay.

Huckelbridge outlines various kinds of paid leave, including paid time off, bereavement, vacation, and sick leave; but what Paid Leave for All generally means, she says, is paid time off to care for yourself, a new child, or a loved one dealing with a serious health condition. This underscores that no one should be haggling for paid time off amid the many moving pieces and needs that make up a life.

How do you know what kinds of leave you have?

Sturman says there are questions to consider about the leave policies at your job: “What sort of notice or permission do you need for taking vacation or sick days? Who do you need to ask? Who needs to approve it? How far in advance do you need to ask for vacation time?” This should be spelled out in an employee handbook, Sturman adds. 

And especially for employees new to the workforce, paying attention to leave details is crucial, such as differences between sick leave, vacation, and holidays, and how leave fits into a larger benefits package. “In short, don’t just assume that the company is going to be generous and help you out when you are sick or need a break,” Sturman says. With many hourly jobs, there is no paid time off, he says. “When faced with costs for rent, food, student loans, and so forth, many people simply can’t afford to take what might

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VACATION

Lake County Council decries request for $136K in vacation pay

A request from the Lake County prosecutor’s office to pay deputy prosecutors approximately $136,000 for banked vacation time was met with opposition from much of the Lake County Council.

Bob Neumair, administrative supervisor for the Lake County prosecutor’s office, appeared during the Thursday council workshop to request funds be transferred to make the payment on the employee’s last paycheck of the year.

The department has the money to pay the employees.

“There is a surplus of funds We are not asking for any new money,” he said.

Neumair said the amount is so high because a number of employees have built up unused vacation time over a long period of years. Many deputy prosecutors are not able to take vacation time because of their court schedules. It is difficult for an attorney to leave in the middle of a case.

One employee alone had more than 1,600 hours of vacation time accrued, Neumair said. That employee agreed to receive payment for half the amount, 860 hours.

Councilwoman Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, said paying those employees for years of accrued vacation time would violate county ordinance which says if vacation time is not used by a certain time it is forfeited.

Council Attorney Thomas O’Donnell confirmed there is a county ordinance that prohibits banking vacation time. According to the ordinance the vacation time must be used by the end of the year. Only one week of unused vacation time may be rolled into the next year. That week then must be used by April 1 or it will be lost. The ordinance has been on the books for at least a decade.

“You have to use it or lose it,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell said the total amount of vacation time the prosecutors are seeking to pay totals $136,000. The employee with

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