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Alaska’s Floating Adventure

Alaskan cruises offer almost everything a traveler could want. They are relatively inexpensive, have majestic scenery, offer family friendly, solo traveler, and romantic couple options, allow for a wide range of activities, and customer service can be directed to be either extremely doting, or hands off.

From the moment you leave port, your floating adventure begins. Whether aboard an intimate sized vessel of 100 guests, or on a traditional sized cruise ship holding 2000 passengers, the ship’s start thru the waves as you stand along the rail waving goodbye to those on shore, fills you with a sense of expectant excitement.

For those who have never experienced a winter environment or its attributes, Alaskan cruises offer a chance to do so. The sense of wonder as you watch huge chunks of ice float pass you, or see the sun sparkling off the blue tinted ice surface of a glacier, blue since that is the only color of the spectrum that is reflected after the red and yellow spectrum colors have been absorbed) is magnified by being a first time event.

As you float along in quiet stillness, the sheer beauty of watching a lush evergreen covered shoreline flow by reflected in the dark glossy surface of black colored water, is nearly unmatched. And suddenly viewing a whale emerge out of those murky depths, or spying an eagle gliding above, or spotting a bear hunting salmon along the shore, only increases the awe.

Staying aboard as others go on shore excursions is another aspect to your floating adventure. The smaller customer base allows for all kinds of advantages. Quiet time at the pool, space in the gym, spa appointments (sometimes at a discount), available casino machines, easier ship exploration, and short lines at the shops. It also allows for an educational opportunity to see a “behind the scenes” view of various ship processes as employees prepare for the next phase of your Alaskan cruise.

So make now the time you embark on your own floating adventure, and join those who have discovered how truly life enriching and memorable an Alaskan cruise can be.

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Proof-of-stake vs. Proof-of-work: Key Differences

Both Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and Proof-of-Work (PoW) are consensus mechanisms. Although they operate in different ways, both ensure that the users are honest and maintain transparency. They are programmed to incentivize good users, and similarly, they can make it extremely painful and expensive for the bad ones. They help in keeping a check on frauds such as double-spending.

A general idea of ‘mining’ helps understand the difference between the two consensus mechanisms. In the case of a Proof-of-Work (PoW) mechanism, crypto transactions are verified through ‘mining.’ In Proof-of-Stake (PoS), ‘validators’ are selected through specific rules and depending on the ‘stake’ they own in the blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies are programmed to be decentralized and distributed. A worldwide network of computers can see and verify the transactions on a blockchain. Computers on the network must agree on what happened before verifying the transactions. The immutable nature of Blockchain prevents any computer(s) from committing fraudulent activities of some kind since it will be caught instantly.

Proof-of-work (PoW)

Proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism is a competition among miners to solve cryptographic puzzles and validate the transactions on the blockchain. In doing so, they earn block rewards from the blockchain in the form of its native crypto. For instance, Bitcoin is a PoW blockchain where miners earn $BTC as a reward for their services. It is the older one among the two and powers blockchains like Bitcoin ($BTC), Ethereum ($ETH), etc. Ethereum is already in a state of transition from PoW to a PoS consensus mechanism, and the process will be complete by August 2022.

The PoW mechanism has powerful advantages that simple yet valuable blockchains like Bitcoin could utilize. As the value of a cryptocurrency grows, more miners are incentivized to join the network. These miners provide better security and power for the blockchain. However, the enormous processing power required in PoS mechanisms makes it impractical for an individual or a group to use it in an extensive blockchain network.

Moreover, it is an energy-intensive process that is detrimental to scaling to accommodate the vast number of transactions taking place on the blockchain.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS)

In the case of Proof-of-Stake (PoS), random validators are selected to ensure that the transactions on the blockchain are reliable and safe. These validators lock up a specific portion of their crypto to become a validator. Their stake in the blockchain compels them to be careful watchdogs of the network. Newer blockchains like Cardano ($ADA) and Tezos ($XTZ) use PoS consensus mechanisms.

Ethereum developers understood quite early that PoW would present challenges regarding scalability later when the number of transactions increases. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum processes multiple Decentralized Finance (DeFi) transactions, NFT minting, crypto transactions, etc. With the increase in traffic, transaction costs or gas fees on Ethereum have spiked notably.

Their only solution was to transition to a PoS mechanism from PoW. The transition is scheduled to complete by August 2022. Cryptocurrencies including Tezos, Atmos, and Cardano all use PoS consensus mechanisms. Their common objective is to maximize speed and efficiency while lowering fees.

Major Differences

Energy consumption is one of the fundamental differences between the PoW and the PoS consensus mechanisms. PoS blockchains do not require spending on extensive electronic hardware that generates intense heat and leave a massive carbon footprint.

Both the consensus mechanisms have economic consequences in the form of penalties if the miners or the validators do not do their job correctly. In PoW, if a miner submits invalid information, their penalty will be the sunk cost of energy, time, and computing power.

In the case of PoS, the staked crypto funds of a validator serve as an incentive to act in the network’s best interests. If a validator submits a bad block, the network operators can choose to ‘slash’ a portion of their crypto as a penalty. The network can predetermine the specific amount that can be slashed in case of a mistake.

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Herbal Supplements To Manage Back Pain And Arthritis That Are Safe

Back pain can happen due to problem in any of the interconnected networks of nerves, muscles, discs and bones in the human body. Inflammation to vertebrae or irritation to root nerves or smaller nerves, damage to bones, joints and ligaments may lead to pain that radiates to other parts to the body to cause disability. It has been observed that one of the biggest reasons for fatigue is pain as it can cause feeling of tiredness and sleeplessness. Painkillers is the commonest cure to get rid of back pain, although, it can have long term side effects and to avoid harshness of chemicals one can opt for herbal supplements to manage back pain.

Back pain can happen due to disc spaces or due to joint degeneration. One of the causes for chronic back pain and joint pains is arthritis, which can be effectively cured by taking herbal supplements to manage arthritis. Back pain is not an individual condition. People may suffer from unexplained weight loss, weakness, incontinence of bladder or bowel movement and pain in abdomen. These factors can be controlled by taking herbs which provides the body with nutrition and phyto chemicals to restrict auto immune weakness and restore normal bone strength. Herbal supplements to manage back pain such as Rumoxil capsules contain key ingredients Vanda Roxburghii and Colchicum Inteum Baker to control pain and prevent autoimmune disorders.

According to Ayurvedic texts, the imbalance of metabolic function, secretory function and motion can cause dryness, leading to pain. The joints and limbs make breaking or quivering sounds due to dryness, and if the air is localized to one particular part of the body it can make the organ appear like air filled, causing pain on movement. This is an airy problem and can move from one joint to other very fast. However, the loss of lubrication can be restored by taking herbs.

Vanda Roxburghii can be found in herbal supplements to manage arthritis as it is widely used to cure the diseases of vata. It can restore heat balance to prevent dryness. It was traditionally recommended for gout, fever, asthma and rheumatic disorders. It is a bronchodilator and a blood purifier which can help in the elimination of harmful depositions in the arteries through the digestive path. It contains alkaloids which help to cure diseases of the nervous system. It can cure pain and swelling in joints. It works as analgesic as the chemicals in the plant can inhibit prostaglandin synthesis.

Colchicum Inteum Baker is another ingredient in the herbal supplements to manage arthritis that was clinically examined, that showed 82.4 percent cases taking the herb regularly for 90 days, had improvement in the condition of arthritis. The study found the herb had anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. The cure prepared from the herb had no effects on blood pressure, respiration, pulse and weight of patients.

There are a number of other supporting herbs in the herbal supplements to manage back pain such as Myrisitca Fragrans, Argyreia Speciosa, Smilax China, Saffron, Solanum Xanthocarpum, Zingiber Officinale etc., that help in improving metabolic functions, elimination of harmful toxins from the body, reducing back pain, improving immunity and improving general well-being.

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