Hoarding is a disorder that is characterized by the inability to let go of certain belongings which eventually accumulate to an overwhelming extent. If your family member or roommate is a hoarder, it can be a very frustrating experience for everyone involved. Not only does the endless clutter leave you feeling suffocated, but it can also be quite disheartening to see your loved one struggle with a terrible addiction. Unfortunately, in an effort to help, many people living with hoarders can make several mistakes that could worsen the problem. So, if you are looking to assist your loved one to overcome this harmful vice, here are the top 5 mistakes to avoid:
- Forcefully throwing away their belongings
This is probably one of the worst mistakes you can make. For hoarders, their belongings are not merely material things but rather, they carry a huge sentimental value, thereby making it difficult for them to let go. Forcefully taking away your loved one’s possessions can lead to an emotional breakdown since they are not prepared to deal with the psychological pain that comes with discarding their belongings. Furthermore, acting in such a malicious way can sabotage your relationship with them and make them withdraw deeper into their addiction.
- Adding fuel to the fire
It’s no secret that family members and friends often exchange gifts with one another. However, when you are dealing with someone who has a hoarding disorder, it is essential that you rethink this common custom. Avoid giving them extra possessions to add to the clutter. Instead of buying gifts, you can take them out somewhere to celebrate special occasions.
- Lack of affirmation
No one enjoys living in a cluttered space, even hoarders. Thus, if your loved has been struggling with hoarding for any length of time, it’s likely that they have made some attempts to change either in the present or sometime in the past. Hence, if you notice any positive changes, no matter how small, be sure to affirm them and show that you appreciate the effort they are making. This will encourage them to continue on the road to recovery.
- Failing to deal with the root problem
Hoarding is often a manifestation of other deep-seated problems. Failing to deal with these issues can cause your loved one to slip back into their old habits time and time again. Hence, it is advisable for your loved one to seek the help of a professional counselor who will help them sort out the root cause of their hoarding disorder, thereby setting the stage for sustained progress.
- Trying to clean it yourself
Hoarding cleanup is a difficult and time-consuming task that should only be left to the professionals. Attempting to clear the space on your own can lead to stress and risk of exposure to biohazards. For this reason, once your loved one is ready to let go of their belongings, you should immediately contact hoarding removal specialists who will be discreet, professional and thorough.
Family
‘The Best Hug in The World’ is a Terrific Tale of Love

Tommy Feight’s “The Best Hug in the World” is a tale of magical moments that will appeal to both children and their parents. Illustrated by graphic designer Daniel Klein, the charming book tells the story of a young boy’s love of hugging.
Rather than being a celebration of heartfelt moments, however, this emotional journey is anything but straightforward for young Shams and his father. The sweet, brown-eyed boy at the center of the story is determined to become the world’s best hugger, but his noble quest is fraught with setbacks.
Join Shams and his father as their father-son relationship is tested like never before. “The Best Hug in the World” is packed with endearing characters, genuine love, and a profound message that will resonate with parents and children alike.
Buy this book online today, and share heartfelt story times with your children that teach invaluable life lessons.
Entertainment
Macy’s, The 4th and The Drones

Macy’s had a drone show for the first time ahead of the start of its 4th of July Fireworks this year. Spectators cheered when 500 drones formed the shape of the Statue of Liberty on East River.
The drone show took place before the Macy’s fireworks celebrating the United States’ 247th independence day.
The drones formed LL Kool J, a radio, Stars and Stripes, a turning Statue of Liberty, an American flag and spelled out the word “Macy’s,” all while Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” blared along the water.
It truly was spectacular.
Featured
How to Clean a Disposable Vape

If you’re one of the many former smokers around the world who has made the switch to vaping, it’s likely that your vaping device is in your mouth dozens of times every day – so if cleaning your disposable vape isn’t something that has crossed your mind before, it’s probably time to start thinking about it. After all, you clean your silverware every time you use it; why should your vape be any different?
In the past, keeping your vaping device clean was only necessary if you used a refillable device. If you used a disposable vape, you didn’t really have to worry because you’d be replacing your device after a day or two anyway. Today, though, the most popular disposable vapes have the ability to last thousands of puffs. That’s as long as an entire carton of cigarettes or even longer. If anything is going to be in your mouth thousands of times before you’re done with it, you definitely want to keep it clean.
Knowing how to clean a disposable vape isn’t just a matter of preventing microbial growth and germ transmission. When you’re not using your disposable vape, it’s going to be in your pocket and is likely to pick up plenty of dust and pocket lint along the way. Failing to keep your device clean could affect its flavor and may even impact its ability to charge when the battery dies.
The next time you buy a disposable vape from a high-end vape shop like Cloud City, you’ll need to know how to maintain it. Here’s how to clean a disposable vape.
How to Clean the Body of a Disposable Vape
If your disposable vape has collected a few fingerprints and stains while you’ve used it, you can remove those contaminants without any trouble by rubbing the body of the device with a soft lint-free cloth.
When you clean your disposable vape, you should never use any harsh solvent or other liquid on the main body of the device, and you should never immerse the device in water. That’s partially because water could get inside the device and damage its internal components. It’s also because many disposable vapes have decorative stickers – and if you clean your device with a solvent, it could cause the sticker to peel and come off.
How to Clean the Mouthpiece of a Disposable Vape
The mouthpiece is the part of a disposable vape that collects the most germs from use, so it’s the most important part to clean properly. While you’re cleaning the rest of your disposable vape with a soft cloth, you can use the same cloth to clean the device’s mouthpiece and remove old lip balm and other contaminants. You can disinfect your disposable vape’s mouthpiece using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to get any of the alcohol inside the mouthpiece’s opening. Allow the alcohol to dry completely before using your disposable vape again.
Remember that alcohol vaporizes at a temperature of just 173 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much lower than the temperature at which the coil in a disposable vape operates. You definitely don’t want to inhale alcohol vapor – so after you clean your disposable vape’s mouthpiece, it’s very important to wait until the alcohol has evaporated completely.
For complete disinfection of a surface, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using alcohol with a purity of at least 70 percent. At that concentration, alcohol can kill most viruses, bacteria and fungi. In order to completely kill any germs that may be lurking on your disposable vape’s mouthpiece, the rubbing alcohol needs to remain on the surface of the mouthpiece for at least 30 seconds.
After cleaning the mouthpiece of your disposable vape, it’s a good idea to complete the project by rubbing the mouthpiece with a cotton swab that you’ve dipped in water. That’s especially the case if you’re using rubbing alcohol with a strength of 70 percent because the impurities in the alcohol may not evaporate completely when you’re done cleaning your device – and you might get a bit of a nasty taste in your mouth when you go back to vaping.
How to Clean a Disposable Vape’s Charging Port
The charging port is the final component that you’ll need to address when cleaning your disposable vape. It’s very likely that you carry your device in your pocket when you aren’t using it – and when you do that, the charging port can get clogged with dust and lint. If that happens, your device may charge more slowly than it should and may not even charge at all. If you have a disposable vape that isn’t lighting up and charging when you connect it to your computer, the charging port is the first thing you should address.
To clean your disposable vape’s charging port, you need to use a thin tool that isn’t made of metal. A USB port typically uses gold-plated contacts to ensure reliable power transmission – and if you use a metal tool to clean the charging port, you could scrape the metal away accidentally. In that case, the charging port may stop working. You’ll find that a toothpick is usually the best tool to use in this situation. Insert the toothpick into the charging port and use it to carefully scrape the contaminants out. If your disposable vape still isn’t charging after you’ve cleaned the USB port, you should try replacing the USB cable.
Cleaning Your Disposable Vape Promotes Good Hygiene and Improves Your Vaping Experience
As you’ve learned from reading this article, cleaning a disposable vape is a simple task that only requires a few minutes of your time. It’s also worth the effort because a modern disposable device can easily last as long as a couple of weeks before it runs out of vape juice. If you’re going to use a vaping device for that long, it can easily pick up some germs along the way. In addition to being best for hygiene, cleaning a disposable vape is also the right thing to do for the quality of your vaping experience. It’ll ensure that your device works reliably and charges quickly until it’s time to replace it.
Events
Happy Birthday, Grand Central!

Today, Wednesday, February 2nd, is Grand Central Terminal’s 109th birthday, and the shops are helping them celebrate. Visit the below stores and eateries in Grand Central to take advantage of one-day-only deals* that either celebrate Grand Central’s age (109 years) or our birthday (1913)!
Café Grumpy: 8oz drip coffee is $1.09
Central Cellars: bottle of Banshee Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2019 or O.P.P. Other People Pinot Noir is $19.13 each
Doughnut Plant: Grand Central–exclusive GCT mini doughnuts are $1.09 each
Grand Central Watch: 18mm nylon straps (in various colors) are $1.09 each
Li-Lac Chocolates: a 9-piece truffle box is $19.13, and caramel squares are $1.09 each
Pescatore Seafood Company: jumbo lump crab cakes are $19.13 for 2 pieces
Spices and Tease: Indian spice trio – 1 pouch of Madras curry, 1 pouch of turmeric, and 1 pouch of Garam Masala – is $10.90
Grand Central Terminal’s construction lasted for ten years (from 1903 – 1913). The building was designed by a Francophile architect named Whitney Warren, who wanted to bring a whole lot of Parisian flair to New York City with his Beaux-Arts style.
Did you know 750,000 people pass through the station every day. That’s almost half the current population of Manhattan. The space occupies 48 acres.
The station has very few stairs, relying on a network of ramps. There are 2,500 stars painted on the ceiling; roughly sixty electric bulbs add to the twinkling effect of the stars. The constellations, with the exception of Orion, are painted backwards. The star-spangled ceiling is 125 feet high.
During the filming of a scene in The Fisher King (1991), 400 extras waltzed around the main concourse from the evening until the first trains arrived at 5:30 the following morning.
Grand Central is the setting for the opening scenes of Gossip Girl.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest, Cary Grant makes an amazing escape through the terminal. Like The Fisher King, this scene was filmed at night to prevent disruptions to train service.
In Superman (1978), Clark Kent battles Lex Luthor, whose hideout is located under the terminal.
At the very end of Francis Ford Coppola’s Cotton Club, Richard Gere and Diane Lane escape their mobster lives through Grand Central.
Fire Power, starring Sophia Loren, was also filmed in Grand Central.
Featured
Happy Chanukah or is it Hanukkah? Day 1

Tonight Chanukah starts at sundown. The word Hanukkah means ‘rededication’ and commemorates the Jews’ struggle for religious freedom when, according to legend, the leaders of a Jewish rebel army called the Maccabees rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt of 167 BC (BCE).King Antiochus had taken over the Second Temple in Jerusalem and soon after ordered an altar to Zeus to be erected. Judaism was prohibited, circumcision was banned and pigs were ordered to be sacrificed at the altar.The Jewish rebellion that followed was led by Judah Maccabee, (or Y’hudhah HaMakabi, meaning “Judah the Hammer”).The uprising spanned three years until the Maccabees gained control of Jerusalem.They wanted to rededicate the desecrated temple, but could find only one container of the sacred oil they needed which had the seal of the high priest still intact.Judaism’s central text the Talmud, dictates only pure olive oil with the seal of the high priest can be used for the Hanukkah. The candelabrum is required to burn throughout the night every night but although there was only enough oil for one day, the candles miraculously stayed alight for eight days – the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. This event became known as ‘the miracle of the oil’ and is now marked with an eight-day festiva
l.
Is it Chanukah or Hanukkah? In Hebrew, Hanukkah is pronounced with the letter ‘chet’. The letter “H” makes the closest sound. So both names work.
We here at T2C wish you a holiday of lights, hope and health.
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