Nunavut Arts and Culture

• 84 percent Inuit population
• 110 carvers and printmakers in Cape Dorset
• 20 million dollars of arts and crafts produced annually

Nunavut is an Arctic territory whose predominantly Inuit population makes it rich with aboriginal art and culture. On a warm summer day in most communities carvers sit outside unleashing polar bears and dancing walruses from chunks of stone, antler, marble or bone: make an offer and buy creations warm from the sculptor’s hands. Stone carvings from Cape Dorset - with the highest per capita number of artists in Canada – have been gifted to presidents, kings and popes. World famous Inuit prints are made in Cape Dorset as well as in the scenic community of Pangnirtung where you can also watch weavers at work in a unique tapestry studio. Iqaluit, the territorial capital, is a creative hub with several art boutiques including the well-stocked Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum gift shop. Head to the Legislative Assembly, designed along the sleek lines of a traditional Inuit sled, and see masterpieces like a scepter carved from narwhal tusk ivory. Visit Iqaluit during Toonik Tyme in spring to hear elders’ stories, traditional throat-singing and drum dancing. Learn Inuit games and dine on caribou stew. Or experience the Alianait! Arts Festival in July, a Northern theatre, film, music and dance extravaganza playing out beneath the Midnight Sun.

6 SKILLS FOR INSURANCE CAREER SUCCESS

If you’re in the midst of applying to insurance jobs or are looking into roles for down the road, it’s important to know which skills your potential employers are seeking during the
application process.
Here are some of the most sought-after skills you’ll need for success in your insurance career.

1. Communication
In an insurance role, you’ll be required to communicate with internal and external stakeholders. This is why employers seek candidates who stand out when it comes to their communication skills. When applying for an insurance role, be sure to showcase any experiences, courses, or volunteer work that have developed your communication skills
and be sure to highlight them in your application.

2. Customer service
As an insurance professional, you will be managing multiple relationships and priorities. Ensuring that you are understanding your customers’ needs, professionalism, managing your time and their expectations effectively and delivering what you promise can play a key role in a successful insurance career. Any experience that helps you demonstrate your ability to respond to inquiries, manage a high volume of traffic, deliver some ‘tough messages’ or your commitment to go above and beyond are great selling points for your application and interview.

3. Teamwork
Though there may be times when you are working independently, you will ultimately be working as part of a team to achieve your unit or organization-wide objectives. Working
collaboratively to identify new business opportunities, generate a solution to a problem or emerging issue, or develop a strategy to manage a potential risk effectively are just a few examples of ways you may find yourself working with your colleagues. Think about school projects, jobs you have had, committees you were a part
of or extracurricular activities that had you as a part of a team (for example: band, sports teams, debate clubs, etc.).
How did you go about achieving success? What role did you play? How did you capitalize on each other’s strengths? Overcome challenges? These are all great examples to showcase your ability to work as part of a team.

4. Professionalism
Insurance is all about peace of mind. It is important that those working in the sector are seen as the professional they are. Demonstrating due diligence, paying attention to detail, wearing appropriate business attire, maintaining ethical standards and confidentiality, staying up to date on current trends/products and exercising sound judgment
are all qualities that make up the package of the professional people are entrusting to help them to protect the things they hold most dear. If you have the opportunity to engage an employer in-person or are brought in for an interview, be sure to take steps
to put your best foot forward and convey that you are the professional the employer is looking for to join their team.

5. Results-oriented
On virtually any career path, success is not just based on doing the job. Rather, it is often judged by the results you have achieved. Whether you are bringing on a new client, reducing the degree of risk associated with a particular client’s needs, developing a
new product or settling a claim fairly and efficiently, there are lots of ways to achieve a positive result in your career as an insurance professional. In the application process, be sure to focus in on not just what you did, but the results and outcomes from each of your previous roles.

5 REASONS WHY INSURANCE IS GOOD

When you buy insurance, you’re buying a promise that if something catastrophic happens to your business your carrier is going to assist you to make your business whole again.
Sometimes, though, it’s tempting to question the value of insurance because it is an intangible product. Let’s back up and take a big-picture view of why insurance matters. Here are seven reasons why insurance is important.

1.) Insurance Protects the Small Guys
When you look at your industry, you see the “big guys” and the “small guys.” If a risk goes wrong, the big guys will be able to survive. They can take a hit. But the little guys can’t take a hit. As a result, they are more risk averse, and in some cases, they sell out to the big guys. If enough little guys leave the industry (and one big guy swallows them up), you’re left with a monopoly. With insurance, however, the little guys have support if they want to take a risk, which means they stick around longer. What it comes down to is that insurance helps prevent monopolies from forming.

2. Insurance Ensures Family and Business Stability
Insurance is a safety net for when risks go wrong. Life insurance can support the life of a family, should a member be lost. It’s similar for a business. Should a key member or piece of equipment go out of commission, the business can carry on, thanks to insurance. This reason why insurance is important dovetails nicely with peace of mind. It all goes back to the idea that insurance, when activated, makes policyholders whole again.

3. Insurance Grants Peace of Mind
Insurance, an intangible, provides another intangible: peace of mind. Business owners can take on certain business ventures because they can shift the risk — thanks to insurance. This reason is the counterpart to — lenders require insurance. Insurance is the required safety net (by lenders) that lets entrepreneurs explore opportunity.

4. Lenders Require Insurance
Mortgage lenders want proof of insurance before you buy or build a new building. In short, to get the money your business needs to keep going, it’s likely you enjoy the benefits of insurance. Without insurance, your winning business model can’t get the funding it needs to take its first step, or your established business model can’t get the funding to evolve and better compete.

11 TIPS FOR HEALTHY SKIN CARE

Skin is extremely important for good health, because it protects the rest of our body from germs and infectious agents. While many people want healthy skin because of the radiant appearance it provides, it can also be an indicator of overall health, and having healthy skin starts with having a healthy body. Skincare and anti-aging products are huge industries, but taking care of your skin has just as much to do with how you treat your body and what you put into it as it does what you put on it.

1. Wash regularly, but not too often.
Your skin is covered in a layer of dead skin, oil, and good bacteria that help prevent harmful things from entering your body.
Showering washes this layer away. Clean skin is important for good hygiene, but washing too frequently is unnecessary, and can make it more difficult for your skin to protect your body from contaminants and infections.

2. Pat your skin dry.
Instead of rubbing dry with a towel when you’ve finished bathing, gently pat your skin with a towel and let the remaining moisture air dry. This will ensure you leave a layer of oil on your skin that will help keep in moisture and prevent dryness.

3. Get your omegas.
Fats are necessary for healthy skin, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids keep skin bright and moisturized, and prevent dryness and blemishes.

4. Drink water.
The skin, like every part of the body, needs proper hydration to function optimally. Sufficient hydration can prevent dryness and flakiness, which will prevent wrinkling and make lines less noticeable.

5. Relax and unwind.
Stress can wreak havoc on your skin and body as well as your mind, and the hormones your body releases in response to stress can exacerbate things like acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema. Furthermore, stress can increase healing time in your body, so breakouts will take longer to go away.

6. Don’t smoke.
Smoking, like stress, has a negative impact on your health, skin, and appearance. Smoking decreases blood flow, which is necessary for healthy skin. It also damages collagen and elastin, while the physical motions associated with smoking lead to wrinkles around the mouth and eyes.

7. Get enough sleep.
Sleep is important for many reasons, and healthy skin is just one of them. For one, when we sleep, our bodies secrete certain growth hormones, and this leads to collagen production.

8. Buy a moisturizer suited for your skin type and use it daily.
Daily moisturizing is one of the keys to healthy skin at any age, but it becomes even more important as you age. Your skin will naturally dry out over time, but you can keep it healthy by using a well-formulated moisturizer each day to keep your skin young and supple. No one product works for everyone, so get one that sounds appropriate for you.

9. Eat a skin-healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
The more vitamins and minerals you can get from your diet, the better. This only becomes more important as you age. However, you should consider taking a supplement as well if you are worried that you aren’t getting enough skin-healthy nutrients.

10. Avoid “miracle cures” or overly-hyped results.
Many skin-care products claim they can “completely erase wrinkles” or turn back the clock twenty years on your skin. If these products really delivered on those promises, however, you would never see another wrinkle again. Keep your expectations low — your goal should be healthy, happy skin, not the same skin you had when you were thirty.

United States: Car insurance, Which insurances do you need for ...

One of the most surprising things about car insurance is that it isn’t mandatory in some states, e.g. Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, etc. These states have ‘financial responsibility’ laws, requiring you to post a bond, cash deposit or approved self-insurance with the state to cover damages if you’re involved in an accident.

Motorists in states where car insurance is compulsory must provide proof of insurance at the time of vehicle registration and may be required to carry it in their vehicles at all times. Buying car insurance is more complicated in the US than in most other countries and may include the following types of cover:

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance includes bodily injury liability, i.e. injuries you cause to someone else, and property damage liability, which is damage caused to someone else’s property, including other vehicles. In most states, liability motor insurance is compulsory, although it doesn’t necessarily include unlimited liability. Most states have laws setting minimum levels for liability insurance, but these are usually woefully inadequate. ‘Responsibility’ limits are set by each state for death or injury to one person, death or injury to more than one person, and property damage in excess of a certain amount.

If your liability after an accident exceeds your amount of insurance and you have personal assets, these are used to pay damages, if necessary, until you’re bankrupt.

Lawsuits often run into millions of dollars and litigation lawyers are among the richest legal vultures. Liability limits can usually be raised significantly for a modest extra premium. To protect yourself against astronomical damages, you can also take out a personal liability umbrella policy which increases your liability limits to a level that covers almost any event.

No-fault Insurance

Around 25 states and the District of Columbia have some form of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or no-fault insurance law. This means that if you’re involved in an accident, you can claim (up to certain limits) from your own insurance company for personal injury sustained in an accident, rather than go to court and try to prove that the other party was at fault. In states without a no-fault law, the victim files a claim against the other driver, irrespective of whether or not the driver is insured, and is paid only if it can be proved that the other driver was responsible for the accident. If you weren’t to blame and can prove it through witnesses or a police prosecution of the other driver, make sure your insurance company is informed, or you may lose your good driver (no-claims) discount.

Where applicable, PIP insurance is usually compulsory and covers bodily injury only and not vehicle damage. Those insured under PIP insurance receive prompt payment from their own insurance company, but their right to sue for general damages is usually restricted. Motorists insured in states with liability laws should ensure that their insurance covers them when travelling in states with no-fault laws. Most insurance companies automatically extend their policies to cover states with no-fault laws.

PIP cover may duplicate insurance provided by health or disability insurance policies. PIP insurance provides benefits for medical and hospital costs (the level depends on your policy), plus lost wages or income continuation, replacement/essential services, survivors’ loss/death benefit, and funeral expenses. Lost wages and replacement services are payable up to a maximum amount for maximum periods.

Tips for Donating a Car to Charity

Tips for Donating a Car to Charity

A charity that uses a donated vehicle for transportation or hauling goods obviously benefits directly from such a donation. However, in many cases donated cars will be sold en masse, either by the charity itself or by a dealer to raise funds for the charity. In the case of a dealer, the charity generally receives a flat fee per car, sometimes as little as $45 per car.

Listed below are tips for donors who would like to donate a car to charity. Beware that the donor's tax deductions for car donations may be limited to the price at which the charity sold the car.

• To receive the maximum tax deduction on your car donation, and to receive the satisfaction that the full value of the car benefits a charitable purpose, give it to a charity that will use the vehicle in its operations or will give it to a person in need. Otherwise, your tax deduction will not be based on the fair market value, but will be limited to the amount of money the charity receives from the sale of your car. If the charity you are donating to does sell the vehicle, ask what percentage of the proceeds they receive. See Car Donations: Taking Taxpayers for a Ride for more.
   
• Ask if the charity accepts car donations directly, without involving a third party. If possible, drive the vehicle to the charity instead of using a towing or pickup service. This will allow the charity to keep the full amount of any proceeds from selling the car.
   
• Make sure the charity is eligible to receive tax deductible contributions. Ask for a copy for your records of the organization’s IRS letter of determination which verifies its tax exempt status.
   
• Be sure that you get a receipt from the charity for your car donation.
   
• Be aware that non-cash donations are one of the most common triggers to an audit by the IRS, so you’ll want to document the value of the car and keep records of it.
   
• If the car is worth more than $500, the donor must complete Section A of IRS Form 8283 and attach it to their tax return. Donors are required to file with his/her tax return a written acknowledgement from the charity. If the charity sells the car, the charity must provide the donor with a certification that the car was sold at "arms length" between unrelated parties and the sale price of the car within 30 days. In this case, the donor's tax deductions will be limited to the total amount the charity sold the car for. If the charity does not sell the car, it must provide the donor with a receipt within 30 days of the contribution. The charity may also be required to provide certification to the donor stating how it plans to use or improve the car and stating that it promises not to sell or transfer the car. Penalties are imposed on charities that provide fraudulent acknowledgements to donors.
   

The 5 Most Profitable Online Businesses You Can Start Today

online business environment has exploded over the past decade, providing numerous job opportunities online, as well the potential for people to create completely online businesses that can be run entirely from home. Whether looking for part-time work that can be done on the side, or a full-time move into an online business with the aim of turning it into your lifelong career, there is unlimited potential for work and money-making online.

But like with any endeavor, not all online businesses have the same potential of becoming lucrative. Today, we would like to present you with a countdown we have compiled of the most profitable online businesses. If you’re interested in other ideas about profitable businesses but don’t necessarily fancy the idea of going online (or solely online), take a look at our cover story of the Most Profitable Businesses. You will surely find something there to inspire you as well.

Perhaps the greatest thing about the majority of our online businesses is that they don’t take much experience or even skills or training to get started. If you have a desire and a passion for the work, you can probably get started today and be making money at your new chosen profession almost immediately.

So if you’re looking for ways to boost your income online, or for the chance to start a new career, then this is the list for you. Let’s take a look at our countdown of the most profitable online businesses.