3 Reasons to Buy Your Real Christmas Tree Early

3 Reasons to Buy Your Real Christmas Tree Early The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally when​ most Christmas tree buying occurs. The decision to delay buying your holiday tree can certainly be determined by personal reasons including family tradition, religious doctrine and a post-Thanksgiving getting into the Christmas spirit barrage of media hype. If you are not bound by any of these or other personal preferences, you might want to consider shopping for and buying a Christmas tree a bit earlier in November. Buying early will pay off with less competition for higher quality Christmas tree selections and could ultimately result in a fresher holiday tree  if properly displayed and watered. Here are some of the reasons to buy a tree early. The Best Trees Are Harvested Early   You should consider mid-November as the  time to plan and follow through on your Christmas tree purchase. Christmas tree farms typically open during the middle of November and start cutting trees for lot sales. These are commercial wholesale farms (who often sell high-quality trees out the front door) and smaller tree farms catering to cutting your own tree. These types of Christmas tree farms promote early sales in designated sections where Christmas trees are of age and in prime shape. Obviously, these areas yield better trees at the beginning of the season, and its when you need to plan your visit. Farms selling trees online actually insist you place your order early in November. Although pricey, Ive found holiday trees purchased on the Internet to be of higher quality than even the premium selects growing on a tree farm. These trees are the growers best of the season crop and harvested first. Farms that supply online broker/sellers or farms that actually sell online take the best trees of their  plantation. They will arrive in perfect condition and are stand-ready (some farms even provide temporary stands with the tree). Instead of having to pick the perfect tree, you have professionals select the best for your holiday season. Get a Better Quality Tree Mounted in a Stand Most people dont realize that many Christmas trees bought on lots were cut in early to mid-November. So, when these trees are not purchased until after Thanksgiving, the drying process is well advanced and needle retention is often compromised. You are just as well off, and in our opinion much better off, buying the tree early and following our recommendations on how to prepare it for optimum freshness over the rest of the season. Although you just might luck out and get a fresh tree late in the season, you should not consider yourself getting a fresh tree by purchasing after Thanksgiving weekend. You just get a lower quality tree (picked over) with shedding needles as you delay your purchase. The sooner you get your Christmas tree in a watering stand after cutting, the longer will be the trees needle retention. The above reasons are the perfect excuse to buy a tree early and enjoying it during the Thanksgiving season. You should not consider yourself getting a fresh tree by purchasing later. The odds are that you just get a lower quality tree with shedding needles if purchased in December.   Avoid a Short Buying Season   Every year is different when it comes to Christmas tree availability. Christmas tree sales in numbers can vary annually because some years will have less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than others. This means that tree sellers will be busy over a shorter period of time and you will not have as many days to shop for a Christmas tree. Natural disruptions (insects, disease, fire, drought or ice) can cause regional Christmas tree shortages which can make certain Christmas tree species hard to find. In any event, buyers need to plan and purchase early to pick from the best holiday trees on the lot.

Avon, Mary Kay and Estee Lauder Resume Animal Testing

Avon, Mary Kay and Estee Lauder Resume Animal Testing In February of 2012, PETA discovered that Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder had resumed animal testing. The three companies had each been cruelty-free for over 20 years, but since China requires cosmetics to be tested on animals, all three companies now pay for their products to be tested on animals. For a short while, Urban Decay also planned to start animal testing but announced in July of 2012 that they would not test on animals and would not sell in China. While none of these are completely vegan companies, they have been considered cruelty-free because they did not test on animals. Urban Decay takes the extra step of identifying vegan products with a purple paw symbol, but not all Urban Decay products are vegan. Testing cosmetics and personal care products on animals are not required by U.S. law unless the product contains a new chemical. In 2009, the European Union banned cosmetics testing on animals, and that ban went into full effect in 2013. In 2011, U.K. officials announced an intention to ban animal testing of household products, but that ban has not yet been enacted. Avon and Animal Testing Avons animal welfare policy now states: Some select products may be required by law in a few countries to undergo additional safety testing, which potentially includes animal testing, under the directive of a government or health agency. In these instances, Avon will first attempt to persuade the requesting authority to accept non-animal test data. When those attempts are unsuccessful, Avon must abide by local laws and submit the products for additional testing. According to Avon, testing their products on animals for these foreign markets is not new, but it appears that PETA removed them from the cruelty-free list because PETA has become more aggressive advocates in the global arena. Avons Breast Cancer Crusade (funded by Avons popular breast cancer walk) is on the Humane Seal list of approved charities that dont fund animal research. Estee Lauder Estee Lauders animal testing statement reads, We do not conduct animal testing on our products or ingredients, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except when required by law. Mary Kay Mary Kays animal testing policy explains: Mary Kay does not conduct animal testing on its products or ingredients, nor ask others to do so on its behalf, except when absolutely required by law. There is only one country where the company operates – among more than 35 around the world – where that is the case and where the company is required by law to submit products for testing – China. Urban Decay Of the four companies, Urban Decay had had the most support in the vegan/animal rights community because they identify their vegan products with a purple paw symbol. The company even distributes free samples through The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, which certifies cruelty-free companies with their Leaping Bunny symbol. While Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder may have offered some vegan products, they had not specifically marketed those products to vegans and did not make it easy to identify their vegan products. Urban Decay had planned to sell their products in China, but received so much negative feedback, the company reconsidered: After careful consideration of many issues, we have decided not to start selling Urban Decay products in China . . . Following our initial announcement, we realized that we needed to step back, carefully review our original plan, and talk to a number of individuals and organizations that were interested in our decision. We regret that we were unable to respond immediately to many of the questions we received, and appreciate the patience our customers have shown as we worked through this difficult issue. Urban Decay is now back on the Leaping Bunny list and PETAs cruelty-free list. While Avon, Estee Lauder, and Mary Kay claim to oppose animal testing, as long as they are paying for animal tests anywhere in the world, they can no longer be considered cruelty-free.

Police Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Police Corruption - Essay Example Majority of scholars in the law enforcement field, according to Corley, assert that the acceptance of gratuities is a pitfall that leads to corruption. Corley bases his classification of corruption on four experts' definitions which affirm that corruption entails the act of accepting goods or anything with monetary value 'for performing or failing to perform duties which are a normal part of one's job'.1 On the other hand, Corley defines gratuity as 'something given without claim or demand' (Corley 2005). However, the author contends that it is confounding for the enforcement agents to discern when a gratuity does not come without a claim or demand. Thus, even though law enforcers exercise discretions on accepting presents and gratuities, enforcers should assume that everything comes with a price, based on the supposition that 'there is no free lunch.' The author adds that though these 'acts of kindness' may not require reciprocity in the present, they may oblige an officer to reciprocate such kindness in the future. In some ways, Corley also admits that there exists people who strive for genuine kindness but individuals involve in the enforcement of law should always presume that everyone wants something in exchange of a gift or gratuity.