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Covid outbreak forces the US embassy in Kabul to be blocked

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Covid outbreak forces the US embassy in Kabul to be blocked

A US Marine stands guard outside the US embassy December 21, 2001 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Paula Bronstein | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The U.S. embassy in Kabul was locked down Thursday as Covid cases in Afghanistan rise and the country’s fragile health system reaches its limits.

At the embassy, ​​114 employees tested positive for the coronavirus and are currently in isolation, one person has died and several people have been medically evacuated.

“The resources of the intensive care unit of the military hospital are running at full capacity, which is forcing our health units to create temporary Covid-19 wards to care for oxygen-dependent patients. 95% of our cases are people who are not or not fully vaccinated.” The embassy wrote in a statement.

With immediate effect, the embassy said, employees would be restricted to their quarters, except to fetch food from restaurants or to exercise or relax in the open air alone.

“Individuals can walk, run, or relax outdoors without a mask provided they are ALONE, which means they are at least 6 meters away from others. Any further need requires a mask, ”the statement went on, adding that face-to-face meetings indoors are prohibited unless“ absolutely ”. business critical. “

People who do not adhere to the guidelines could be removed from the post “on the next available flight,” the embassy added.

“The restrictions will continue until the chain of transmission is broken,” the statement said.

Afghan hospitals are running out of medical equipment and other resources quickly as cases have increased 2,400% in the past month, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Thursday.

Last week, the US embassy in Kabul shut down all consular visa services to deal with an “intense third wave of Covid-19 cases,” which may hamper visa status for thousands of Afghans who have supported the US military through the conflict .

Legislators on Capitol Hill on Thursday expressed concern about whether the backlog of more than 10,000 Afghan translators and their families would be cleared before remaining US troops pull out of the war-weary country.

Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Forces Committee during a hearing on the Pentagon’s budget proposal that “planning is underway” to protect Afghans who have served alongside US and NATO forces.

The country’s senior military officer added that the U.S. military would be able to accommodate any request as the State Department is running the thorough visa process for eligible Afghans.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had passed the center of its Herculean task of withdrawing troops and equipment from Afghanistan.

The US military has removed approximately 611 loads of material that were flown out of the country by large cargo planes, according to an update from US Central Command.

The flight crew assigned to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, carry their equipment into a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina on April 27, 2021.

Staff Sgt. Kylee Gardner | U.S. Air Force photo

Approximately 14,000 pieces of equipment that will not be handed over to the Afghan military have been turned over to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction. The US has officially handed over six facilities to the Afghan military.

Biden announced in April a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, which would end America’s longest war.

Biden’s withdrawal deadline breaks with a proposed deadline that the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban last year. Accordingly, all foreign armed forces should have left Afghanistan by May 1st.

The removal of approximately 3,000 US soldiers coincides with the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks that spurred America’s entry into protracted wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.

How To Make Your Dwelling Look Like A Resort (In A Good Method)

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How To Make Your Dwelling Look Like A Resort (In A Good Method)

Illustration for the article titled How to Make Your Home Look Like a Hotel (In a Good Way)Photo: Checubus (Shutterstock)

Although people are now traveling more than six months ago, not everyone is able to take a few days off and rest in a hotel. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the nicer design features hotels have to offer. in the an article for BobVila.com, Miranda Siwak shares some tips on how to transform your home into a quiet place that feels like a high-end sanctuary. Here are some of their suggestions.

Window decorations

Hotels usually have two types of window treatments: blackout curtains and then either sheer curtains or some sort of adjustable blinds. This gives you the opportunity to sleep in complete darkness, but also to open the windows during the day (with the transparent curtains) and to maintain a certain aspect of privacy. Installing a similar setup in your bedroom at home is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to achieve a deep hotel sleep that won’t be disturbed.

Get symmetrical

As humans, we’re fans of symmetry, and that’s what we get in a hotel room. Not only is it pleasing to the eye, Siwak also says that a symmetrical space can feel more inviting. “For example, to improve the calming aesthetic, they usually put identical bedside tables with a lamp on either side of the bed or couch,” she writes.

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Create a mini lounge

Most hotel rooms have some sort of seating area that can be used for everything from entertaining visitors to working remotely to falling down while you still wear your outside clothes. It also gives you a place to spend time in your bedroom that isn’t your bed – for example when you prefer to work or read by yourself but don’t necessarily want to go to bed. Per Siwak:

You too can create a hotel-like atmosphere by creating an intimate sitting area in your bedroom or living room. Incorporating additional seating into a room is also a great way to invite textures and patterns into the room for a bit of visual interest.

Siemens Gamesa provides “typhoon-proof generators” for wind venture

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Siemens Gamesa provides “typhoon-proof generators” for wind venture

YS graphic | Moment | Getty Images

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is supplying 79 “typhoon-proof” turbines to a large onshore wind farm in Japan as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and develop more renewable energy systems.

The 339.7 megawatt Dohuku project will be located on the island of Hokkaido, Siemens Gamesa announced in a statement on Wednesday and consists of four plants to be developed by Japan’s Eurus Energy.

The 4.3 MW turbines of the “Taifun class” are designed for the “very high wind speeds” in Japan, explained Siemens Gamesa.

Read more about clean energy from CNBC Pro

Last October, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the country would target zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In April 2021, he said Japan would aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% compared to 2013.

Much remains to be done to enable the country to achieve its goals. In 2019, the Natural Resources and Energy Agency said the country was “largely dependent on fossil fuels” such as coal, oil and liquefied natural gas.

An energy policy review of Japan published in March by the International Energy Agency set out the scale of the challenge: “To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, Japan must significantly accelerate the use of low-carbon technologies, accelerate regulatory and institutional barriers and strengthen competition in its energy markets . ”

However, a number of interesting renewable energy projects have developed in the country this year. In February, a tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland was installed in waters off the island of Naru, which is part of the larger Goto island chain.

And in January it was announced that shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines will be partnering with a company called Bombora Wave Power to identify potential project locations in Japan and the surrounding regions.

For individuals who have misplaced a father, we honor their legacy on this Father’s Day

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For individuals who have misplaced a father, we honor their legacy on this Father’s Day

At his father’s request Michael Gandolfini wouldn’t go to hollywood. But after the Sopranos star suddenly died of a heart attack while on a family vacation, Michael signed up for acting classes to help him heal. And that was all it took to realize that he would carry on his father’s dream like this. Well, as fate would have it, as a young Tony Soprano he will star in the prequel to the HBO drama The Many Saints on Newark.

However, since he had never seen an episode before – Michael was born the year The Sopranos debuted in 1999 – his preparation to sit down and study his father meant a painful but also cathartic experience. In one scene, “he sits by his son’s bed and says, ‘I couldn’t ask for a better son,'” Michael, 22, recalled Esquire. “I just knew he was talking to me.”

The Distinction Between Investing and Speculating (And Why It Issues)

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The Distinction Between Investing and Speculating (And Why It Issues)

Illustration for article titled The Difference Between Investing and Speculating (and Why It Matters)Photo: Freedomz (Shutterstock)

One could say that the difference between investing and speculating is simply a matter of risk tolerance, with speculation being closer to gambling. However, the truth is that there is no clear line between them as all investments involve risk. Still, there are differences you should be aware of regardless of your financial goals.

Investing is usually a long-term game

Definitions vary, but investing is most often viewed as an attempt to profit from transactions, stocks, or assets. Often there is a “safety first” approach, as the most conservative investors trade potentially higher returns for lower risk of loss principle. Safe investments can include bonds, buying real estate, loans to low risk borrowers, or investing in Blue chip stocks.

To ensure the highest margin of safety, investors evaluate various assets, industries and market trends and try to select an investment that best offers their chance for constant returns. The most conservative investor will avoid short-term market volatility by investing long-term in assets or stocks that are often traded over many decades, known as “passive” investing.

This strategy has worked well (think Warren Buffett), especially when investing in the stock market like it had a historical return of around 11% per year, on average. The “average” portion is important because the longer the money is invested, the more it becomes connectionmaking it less prone to short-term, double-digit market drops.

Speculations tend to be geared towards short-term gains

The old adage “big risk comes big reward” applies to speculation, where money is put into investments that are more likely to fail and sometimes pay off with a big reward. Speculators (including Momentum trader) tend to trade more often, and they will bet on higher risk markets like commodities, cryptocurrencies, or stocks of small or distressed companies.

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Just because speculation is more risky doesn’t mean it’s all just gambling. The same level of scrutiny and research that is applied in looking for long term investment opportunities can be applied to short term cycles and market behavior (you can argue that the Gamestop’s Short Squeeze was rational investing, for example). However, if you have people making these trades based on zero knowledge of what they are investing in (such as Crypto, often), well, basically it’s gambling.

Risk is a spectrum that encompasses both investment and speculation

Knowing whether you are investing or speculating is not about what you are buying, but why you are buying – and that varies depending on your financial goals. For example, a low-income earner close to retirement is likely to not want to cash out his 401 (k) nest egg in order to pursue a short-term rally in AMC stock. In contrast, someone with more wealth might want theirs Exposure only stocks or bonds, so they’re happy to invest a small portion of that wealth in high-risk intangibles like crypto.

While it is important to know the difference between low risk and high risk investments, it is more important to know your own risk tolerance (more on this Here). And since so much depends on your age, financial situation, and retirement goals, think about it Consultation with a financial advisor to guide you through the tradeoffs that come with investing and speculating.

CapitaLand Dividend and Share Value Information: Is It Price Shopping for ?, Cash Information

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CapitaLand Dividend and Share Value Information: Is It Price Shopping for ?, Cash Information

With its now privatized real estate development division, CapitaLand is looking for new paths with an increased focus on investment management. Here’s What Investors Should Know About Moving.

In March of this year, CapitaLand announced, known for building a mall in every possible neighborhood (and somehow managed to get everything working without everything turning into a Panem-style battle for shoppers) , a split at.

The move would result in the property development business being spun off and privatized, while the rest of CapitaLand would focus on property investment management.

The company, renamed CapitaLand Investment Management (CLIM), is the third largest real estate investment management company in the world. It retains its shares in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and the hospitality investments of CapitaLand.

What does this mean for the blue-chip company (and arguably one of Singapore’s best) and what benefits, if any, can private investors look forward to?

CapitaLand share prices over the past five years

Capital Country (C31) Share price
August 2016 $ 3.07
June 2021 $ 3.71
Gain 20.8 percent

With CapitaLand’s strong involvement in the retail, F&B and hospitality sectors, the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were not spared. In fact, the company saw its share price decline to a low of $ 2.51 in November 2020.

However, it has made a compelling comeback since then, with stock prices soaring to previous highs. At the time of writing, CapitaLand’s share prices are up 20 percent compared to five years ago.

This is despite the ongoing rampage of the pandemic around the world and a surge in local cases resulting in a temporary tightening of social distancing rules from May 16 to June 20, 2021.

Amid these turbulent conditions, the rise in the share price could be an indicator of the market’s confidence in CapitaLand’s decision to split its real estate development arm into a private company so that a more investment-oriented company can generate value on the motherboard.

How much dividend do I get?

year 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Gross dividend (cents per share) 0.09 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.10
yield 2.41 percent 3.21 percent 3.21 percent 3.21 percent 2.67 percent

In terms of dividends, C31 was far from consistent. Over the past five years we’ve seen gross dividends between nine and 12 cents per share, with a five-year average return of 2.94 percent – an expected performance considering CapitaLand is one of Singapore’s leading blue-chip stocks .

Distribution plan for CapitaLand dividends

year 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Dividend payment date May 18 20th of August May 7th May 18 12th of May

CapitaLand has paid dividends annually for the past five years. This usually took place in May, after the earnings consolidation at the end of the financial year in March.

So if you are invested in CapitaLand, you should note a payday in the calendar in the middle of May.

What are my risks?

If you can align yourself with the current sentiment, CapitaLand remains a safe bet for investors – some analysts expect an upward trend of 10 percent over the next 12 months, which would bring the share price above the $ 4 mark.

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In addition to the realignment to a more resource-efficient and capital-efficient status, this positive outlook is due to the recently announced acquisition of a hyperscale data center campus by CapitaLand in Shanghai, which serves two of the largest telecommunications providers in China.

By moving to new assets such as data centers, CapitaLand is relying on increasing global connectivity and demand for data.

This is a smart move considering how the Covid-19 pandemic has sharpened the demand for digital connectivity – and if CapitaLand succeeds here, shareholders will benefit from heightened uptrends.

What does the future look like for CapitaLand?

Like it or not, Covid-19 has made some long-lasting, even permanent, changes in the way we live, work and play.

In the office and hospitality sector, sentiment remains optimistic for the time being as it is assumed that workers will return to the office and travelers will fly again.

Brick and mortar retail could be shaky, however. Challenged by e-commerce and next-day delivery, shopping malls struggled even before the pandemic.

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And with thousands of SMEs in F&B and retail shutting down over the past two years, shopping center operators could experience a shock wave of unpaid rents and unfulfilled leases.

This could put downward pressure on REITs, which make up a large part of CapitaLand’s holdings. However, if there is anyone who can ride the wave, it is CapitaLand.

After all, this is the company that bit its teeth in Singapore’s frothy real estate sector and even managed to tame (some say to its detriment) the island’s unruly mall.

And with a renewed focus on investment management – free from the distractions of capital-intensive real estate development – and the foresight to develop investments in new markets such as data centers, CapitaLand should certainly remain on the blue chip list for many years to come.

This article was first published on SingSaver.com.sg.

Simply the 25 greatest secrets and techniques of Schitt’s Creek revealed

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Simply the 25 greatest secrets and techniques of Schitt’s Creek revealed

10. One of the show’s most iconic moments was the reveal that Alexis tried to become a reality star and recorded the theme song for what gave fans the single “A Little Bit Alexis,” which later went viral . And Annie actually wrote the song herself, with the help of her husband, determined to make it a “bang” in the sense of something Britney Spears or Paris Hilton would have released.

“She was always surrounded by musicians and new people and producers and she said, ‘Yeah, let me see what I can do’ and came back to us with a bang,” Levy told EW Receive Tweets from mostly gay men who are in clubs and the song is playing. I think gay bars and clubs are like gaming, which is the biggest compliment for me. “

11. Not only did Annie catch the tune, she also revealed that she choreographed Alexis’ dance number, which she didn’t show anyone before the scene was shot. “I kept my fingers crossed that it would be enough and then I went in and did it,” she told EW.

Matthew McConaughey explains how his break day helped restart his profession

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Matthew McConaughey explains how his break day helped restart his profession

Matthew McConaughey speaks on stage during HISTORYTalks Leadership & Legacy presented by HISTORY at Carnegie Hall on February 29, 2020 in New York City.

Noam Galai | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey said that taking a break from Hollywood, what he called what he called an “unbranding” phase, actually helped revitalize his career.

McConaughey spoke on Tuesday at the 2021 CogX Conference on Lessons for Life, a focus of his memoir “Greenlights,” published last year.

By the 2000s, McConaughey had become known for his role in romantic comedies, but after the birth of his child, the actor suggested that his work no longer challenged him enough.

It was at this point that McConaughey decided to take what he called the “unbranding phase” for a two-year hiatus, explaining that his absence from Hollywood actually sparked calls for alternative dramatic roles. McConaughey won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2014 for his performance at the Dallas Buyers Club.

Taking this time out is “a big risk,” said McConaughey.

“Trust me, I had the last six months before I got that call to work in drama again – I didn’t know if I would ever work in Hollywood again,” he said.

Traffic light events

McConaughey also talked about how the death of his father, James Donald McConaughey, just days after his first acting role in “Dazed and Confused” had shaped his approach to his work.

He said that dealing with the loss of his father at the same time as his career was “challenging, but it was so incredibly grounding and that’s what I mean when I say you’re sober after losing a loved one.”

“I think it helped me do a better job because I was more sober,” he added.

McConaughey used a traffic light analogy in his book to show what he had learned from those troubled times – green light events were supposed to represent periods of success, while yellow and red light events were supposed to reflect more difficult times.

McConaughey said he noticed that “we love the green lights, they say ‘go on, please more, atta-boy, keep it up’ – they are approval, affirmation.”

Yellow and red lights, on the other hand, can be “an interruption, they can interfere, they slow us down or stop our flow”.

McConaughey said he believes these more difficult phases “have a lesson in them to learn, and if we learn the lessons from them it will give the green light.”

Check out:

Singapore is slowing the tempo of reopening as native instances stabilize

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Singapore is slowing the tempo of reopening as native instances stabilize

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past an indoor waterfall at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore.

Facebook Facebook logo Sign up on Facebook to connect with Roslan Rahman AFP | Getty Images

SINGAPORE – The Singapore government said Friday it would further relax Covid-related restrictions next week, albeit at a slower pace than previously announced, as local infections have not decreased significantly.

The government started easing some measures this week, including increasing restrictions on social gatherings and event attendees.

It said that as of Monday, “higher risk activities” such as eating in and indoor sports and exercise may be resumed in groups of two people – instead of the five people previously announced.

We remain concerned, especially if we do not have to reach a high level of vaccination yet,

Gan Kim Yong

Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry

Barring another super-spreader event or large cluster of infections, the government will allow these activities for groups of up to five people from mid-July.

“The number of cases in the community has stabilized somewhat, but it is not falling significantly and we see several unrelated cases every day,” said Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, co-chair of the Covid- Country Task Force.

“That’s why we remain concerned, especially if we don’t have to reach a high level of vaccination yet,” Gan told reporters at a briefing.

Singapore needs to be cautious in resuming activities that are viewed as more risky due to the more transmissible variant of the Delta, first discovered in India, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at the same meeting.

Ong, who is also co-chair of the Covid task force, said a gradual reopening will help “buy time to get more people vaccinated, so it is imperative now to step up vaccinations”.

Singapore has one of the fastest vaccinations in the Asia-Pacific region, but it is lagging behind many western countries. Around 2.7 million people – or about 49% of the population – had at least the first dose of the Covid vaccine by Tuesday, Ong said. Around 35% of the population are fully vaccinated, he added.

The country had largely controlled the spread of Covid until locally transmitted cases flared up in late April. Many of the recent cases have been caused by the Delta variant. The surge in cases forced the government to tighten social distancing measures twice last month.

The community’s daily reported cases dropped to single digits for most of the past week, but have remained above 10 cases a day since Sunday as a large cluster of infections emerged around a damp market in southern Singapore.

In total, the Southeast Asian country has reported 34 deaths and more than 62,300 confirmed cases since early 2020 as of Thursday, data from the Ministry of Health showed.

What ought to I do with these mysterious cremains?

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What ought to I do with these mysterious cremains?

Illustration for the article titled What Should I Do With These Mysterious Cremains?Photo: Luca Iannuzzi (Shutterstock)

Not all advice has to be professional. Sometimes your problems deserve a little blunt honesty from a guy with only a computer and a conscience. Luckily for you, I’m that guy. Welcome back to Tough Love.

Today we’re talking about a peculiar dilemma that most people (probably) never face: what to do with the ash-gray remains of someone – or something – that has mysteriously come into your possession. How do you pay tribute? Should you?

Note: I am a columnist, not a therapist or a certified doctor. With this in mind, my advice should be heeded. If you have a problem with something I say complain here. Now to today’s letter.

Dear sam

I have an ethical dilemma and maybe you can help solve it.

My husband and I recently moved. While unpacking and sorting our household items, I discovered a plastic bag full of “cremains”. The problem is, I don’t know who they belong to. Lots of things were stowed away because we didn’t have space for them in our old house. This move unearthed a number of things that we had forgotten, including those ashes. The ashes do not contain any identifying markers or tags, so we cannot identify them, but there are three options:

We cremated a beloved dog many years ago and my kids and I scattered the ashes on a hill we used to walk the family on, but maybe not all of them were scattered. I vaguely remember promising to keep something for my ex-husband to disperse. But I remember that I didn’t want him to have any part of the memorial for the dog, so it makes sense that they are not left of him.

A dear friend of mine also played me something from her husband’s ashes for safekeeping, while her living situation was unstable after a fire and she lived with me so that they could be his too. I thought I would have given them all back to her at some point, but I remember there were two bags of ashes when she planned to scatter them in different places. I would be embarrassed to tell her, but she’s pretty relaxed and would probably just find it humorous and welcome the opportunity to remember her husband again.

Eventually my husband thinks they could be his ex-MILs. She was brought home by his ex-wife, but they haven’t spoken in about 20 years.

So what is to be done morally / ethically? Do I bother to have them tested (is it even possible?) To see if they are animals or humans? Given that we supposedly share 60% of our DNA with bananas, I don’t want to pursue a completely fruitless (sorry) exercise. Or do we keep this discovery to ourselves and just scatter it around our wooded property and spend a quiet moment pondering the transience of human and animal life and each of the three beings that could have been them?

You can probably see that we’re not interested in having unknown ashes in a teapot in our kitchen, but we want to do something about it after we find it. But what?!

Signed,

ashes to Ashes

Dear ashes to ashes,

Wow what a predicament you are in, uh, brew. Usually, people in possession of ashes know where they came from. However, you are in the unenviable position of having mysterious ashes: everything that is left of someone (or something) on ​​Earth in a short period of time – but whose? That is hard. Our loved ones can really haunt us after they’re gone, or at least annoy us over bizarre ethical dilemmas.

This situation is funny in a way that is reminiscent of the Monty Python cast knocking over an urn which allegedly contained the ashes of her co-conspirator Graham Chapman in front of a live audience (although that is exactly what is not desired) In a way, what you stumbled upon is somehow beautiful: you hold in your possession a symbol of a completed life – a life that has passed into a realm truly unknown to humans. And from what I hear, whether human or animal, all of the lives that could possibly belong to that pile of ashes really meant something to you and your husband.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned “the ephemeral nature of human and animal life” and you are lucky in the sense that you have in your possession a capsule that symbolizes the universal mystery of life. Regardless of who / what is in this vessel, it represents both the transience of life and the unknowable mystery of death, your own grave of the unknown soldier (in a teapot).

The first thing to consider is whether you need to do anything at all. No death is more or less important than another, even if the deceased is anonymous. The possibility that you are clinging to a physical representation of one of the lives you mentioned will undoubtedly bring back memories of these beings. Maybe these memories are painful, or maybe they are nostalgic or make you laugh. Keeping the leftovers in a container somewhere in your home could be a ever-present reminder of how fragile life is and the importance of enjoying our experiences with others before (and after) they’re gone. We all only have so much time until we too are ashes in an urn (metaphorically or literally).

You could theoretically for a DNA test, but the results might be unclear, since nowhere is ash sequencing as easy as performing a DNA test on an exhumed corpse, let alone a living person. (Online opinion on DNA testing for cremated remains is split so do your research if you really want to go this trail). Another option could be to ask your boyfriend or your husband’s ex-wife if they have more specific memories of those ashes, but that too could be fruitless.

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Scattering them in a nice spot is always a good option, although in that case it might be for housekeeping rather than a tribute to the life and legacy of an anonymous being. In any case, think about it and do what gives you security.

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