How to stop hating the place where you live.

A few years ago, I went on a research trip to Sierra Vista, Arizona, and asked random strangers how they felt about their city. A woman in a bakery gushed for 10 minutes about the delight of raising her kids here in the clear southern sunshine. Shortly thereafter, a woman at a mall kiosk confided, with a look of desperation, that Sierra Vista was a black hole of misery that she was trying and failing to escape.

Cities are funny that way. Their appeal exists, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. But as I explain in my new book This Is Where You Belong, loving where you live—an emotional bond called place attachment—matters far more to your health and happiness than you’d guess. If you’re unhappy with your place, it’s important make a change. And if finances or family obligations stop you from starting fresh somewhere else, try making a conscious effort to fall in love with your city.

I know this is possible from firsthand experience. When I moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, with my family four years ago, I was so underwhelmed that I immediately started investigating online real estate options in Iowa. Blacksburg seemed claustrophobically small and Southern, a middle-of-nowhere college town with nothing to do on weekends but stare at the trees.

But the chaos and stress of moving had exhausted my family—especially my daughter, who had just started her third elementary school in three states. I decided that before packing up, I needed to give Blacksburg a serious shot.

After digging into loads of scientific research, I zeroed in on behaviors that were most closely correlated with place attachment. One by one, I started trying them out. Here are three of the changes I made that helped me most.

First, I found my tribe. One of the three major factors contributing to place attachment is the belief that your city has plenty of social offerings, according to the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Communitystudy. You’ve got to feel as if you’ve got something to do on a Saturday night—and a friend or two with whom to do it.

“I think we’ve glossed over that basic human need that people have to feel like they’re in a space where they have opportunities for positive social interactions,” says Katherine Loflin, the study’s lead author and a consultant who specializes in helping people and cities develop place attachment.Unfortunately, moving makes you feel like a stranger in a strange land, or as one woman I interviewed said, that “If I died, no one within a 50-mile radius would care.”

To build some fast social capital, I joined the local congregation of my church, whose members were morally obligated to be nice to me. Through church, I found a book club, and from that, I gained a neighborhood walking buddy.

Since I work at home, these semi-regular opportunities for adult conversation doubled as community mentoring. I asked for advice about the best doctor, the cheapest grocery store, the nicest park, and undiscovered restaurants. The recommendations I received helped me put down more roots. Meanwhile, walking around town with a friend helped me develop a cognitive map of my neighborhood. Simply knowing how to get from point A to point B made me feel more like I belonged in Blacksburg.

There are dozens of ways to form connections with locals, including taking a class or joining a sports team. Dogs and kids help break the ice. The process can be a bear, especially for introverts. But a few reliable friendships are crucial to forming a connection with your place of residence.

Second, I hung out in nature. Amanda Burden, the designer of New York’s much-praised High Line park, says that urban green spaces can “change how you live in a city, how you feel about a city, whether you choose one city over another.” According to the Soul of the Community study, admiring the aesthetics of the place where you live makes you far more likely to feel attached to it. And research has shown that time spent among trees and green has such marked health benefits that some scientists call it vitamin G.

Although we’re not terribly outdoorsy, my family began taking short, kid-friendly hikes around the county. We even camped a few times, and as the early-morning mist rose off the meadow, I finally realized, It’s so beautiful here.

Sometimes place attachment can be as straightforward as creating happy memories where we live. As I made more friends with whom to go trekking in nature, even the disasters—like getting soaked in a sudden rainstorm on the Blue Ridge Parkway became—something to laugh about with a girlfriend later on.

Time spent kayaking or hiking or doing outdoorsy things where you live also builds a sense of place dependence, an offshoot of place attachment. You rely on your place to do what you love, and doing what you love makes you happy. Naturally, you wind up loving your place more.

Third, I bought local. When you love your city, you do what’s good for it. Shopping at local independent stores kicks in the local multiplier effect that leaves three times as much cash circulating in your community as does when you shop at big-box chains. Plus, you develop loose-tie relationships with small-business owners and employees that can be really satisfying.

When the bookstore owner sets aside a children’s book he thinks your kid will like, or the barista at your local coffee shop begins preparing a vanilla latte the moment you walk in the door, you start to feel that the community has carved out a place for you. You play a role in its daily workings. You are known. That sense of belonging makes it a lot easier to love where you live.

It’s true that you may putting in all that hard work only to wind up deciding that your city just really isn’t the place for you. But it’s also possible that you’ll change your mind completely. Sometimes you don’t need to get the hell out of Dodge—you just need to get to know it a little bit better.

My body is my art: Dancer and fitness coach Kaffy poses topless in new photo

Nigerian dancer and fitness coach Kafayat Shafau- Ameh popularly known as Kaffy took to Instagram to share a sultry nearly naked topless photo of herself. The photo feature the very fit choreographer in nothing but a pair of black pant, head thrown back and hands modestly covering her breasts. The 36-year-old mother of two captioned the photo taken by ace Nigerian photographer Kelechi Amadi-Obi, thus: 

"My body is my art. My canvas. My paintbrush. My instrument of expression. #Beinspired #fitmom #dancemom #dancetrepenuer Be Happy In You! I celebrate this body as its a testimony of God's ingenuity . A production factory . An abode for passion. A chamber for motherhood . A masterpiece."

Ford promises driverless cars by 2021

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it plans to deploy a fully autonomous and driverless ride-hailing car by 2021.

CEO Mark Fields set the target at Ford’s Research and Innovation facility here, which will double its staff to 300 and grow its footprint by 150,000 square feet by year’s end to respond to the challenge.

“This is one example of how we’re thinking about expanding our business into mobility more broadly,” Fields told USA TODAY. “Taking the driver out of the equation improves the economics for us as well as consumers.”

Currently, Ford is testing around a dozen self-driving Ford Fusion Hybrids onCalifornia, Michigan and Arizona roads. Its goal is to introduce cars with no steering wheels or pedals. The car's powertrain has yet to be decided, but Ford executives stressed that for commercial applications such as ride hailing a more flexible gas-electric hybrid engine may be preferable to pure electric.

Google leads the way in this arena with a seven-year self-driving program whose vehicles have logged more than 1.5 million miles in four states.

Other automakers are also targeting a similar delivery date, with BMW and Volvo separately announcing last month that they would have a self-driving car by 2021. Some 33 companies are developing autonomous car tech, from Audi to Volkswagen, according to CB Insights.

Beyonce jumps off a yacht in Italy

Beyoncé pictured jumping off a yacht while still on vacation in Italy.

it is well

15 TOP PAYING CERTIFICATIONS - 2016

15 TOP-PAYING CERTIFICATIONS, 2016

By John Hales, VMware, SDN and SoftLayer instructor, A+, Network+, CTT+, MCSE, MCDBA, MOUS, VCP, VCAP, VCI, EMCSA

Introduction:

Which mainstay certifications should be in your list of credentials? What's the next up-and-coming certification? This article will help you answer both questions by providing a review of the 15 top-paying certifications. I've provided a brief description of each, as well as the average salary each certification commands based on the 2016 IT Skills and Salary Survey in the fall of 2015. Since the survey was distributed nationwide, variations exist based on where you work, your years of experience and the type of company you work for.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Average Salary: $125,871

Amazon Web Services' baseline certification, AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate, debuted in mid-2013 & is intended for individuals with experience designing distributed applications & systems on the AWS platform. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification exam addresses a range of topics, including designing on AWS, selecting the appropriate AWS services for your situation, ingress & egress of data to & from the AWS, estimating AWS costs & identifying cost-control measures.

Since the release of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification, AWS has rolled out four additional certifications, including the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional. According to this year's salary survey responses, each of the 5 AWS certifications brings in an average salary of more than $100,000, but the others did not meet the minimum number of responses needed to make our list. Based on the number of companies moving to the cloud and the growth of AWS, I would certainly expect to see a few more AWS certifications on next year's list.

Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)

Average Salary: $122,954

Similar to the way that CompTIA manages the A+ and Network+ certifications, the nonprofit group ISACA, which formerly stood for Information Systems Audit and Control Association but now is an acronym only, offers the CRISC certification.

Designed for IT professionals, project managers & others whose job it is to identify & manage risks to IT and the business through appropriate information systems (IS) controls, CRISC certification, introduced in 2010, covers the entire life cycle, from design to implementation to ongoing maintenance. It measures two primary areas: risk and IS controls. Similar to the IS control life cycle, the risk area spans from identifying and assessing the scope and likelihood of a particular risk to monitoring for it and responding to it if/when it occurs.

More than 18,000 people worldwide have earned this credential. Because of the demand for professionals with these skills and the relatively small supply of those who have them, CRISC is the second highest-paying certification on the list year.

To obtain CRISC certification, you must have at least three years of experience in at least two of the four areas that the certification covers, and you must pass the exam, which is only offered twice a year. In addition, continuing education credits are required each year to maintain your certification. This is not a case where you can just take a class & get certified. Achieving CRISC certification requires ongoing effort and years of planning.

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Average Salary: $122,291

ISACA also created the CISM certification. It's aimed at management more than the IT professional & focuses on security strategy and assessing the systems and policies in place more than it focuses on the person who actually implements those policies using a particular vendor's platform.

More than 27,000 people have been certified since its introduction in 2002, of which 23,220 are currently certified, making this a highly sought-after area with a relatively small supply of certified individuals. In addition, the exam is only offered three times a year, making taking the exam more of a challenge than with many other certifications. It also requires at least five years of experience in IS, with at least three of those as a security manager. Your experience must be within the 10 years before taking the exam or five years after passing it. In addition, continuing education credits are required each year to maintain your certification. As with CRISC, requirements for CISM certification demand effort and substantial planning.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Average Salary: $121,923

Offered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, CISSP is designed to provide vendor-neutral security expertise similar to the certifications that ISACA offers. Launched in 1994, CISSP consists of an exam based around eight areas in computer security, including security and risk management, communications and network security, software development security, asset security, security engineering, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, and security operations.

CISSP candidates must have at least five years of full-time experience in at least two of the eight areas tested. If you don't have the work experience, you can still earn an Associate of (ISC)2 designation while working toward the full certification.

CISSP certification has a broad focus, covering many different areas in a single certification. There are nearly 104,000 CISSPs worldwide, with approximately two-thirds of them in the United States. To remain certified, CISSPs must earn Continuous Professional Education (CPE) credits every year.

Project Management Professional (PMP®)

Average Salary: $116,094

The fifth highest-paying and the first that is business-related instead of technical-related, the PMP certification was created and is administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and is the most recognized project management certification available. There are more than 658,000 PMPs worldwide.

The PMP certification exam tests five areas relating to the life cycle of a project: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. PMP certification validates expertise running any kind of project and is not specialized into sub types, such as manufacturing, construction or IT.

To become certified, individuals must have 35 hours of PMP-related training. In addition, those who have less than a bachelor's degree must have 7,500 hours of project management experience, while those who have a bachelor's degree or higher need 4,500 hours. To maintain PMP certification, continuing education credits are required each year. PMP certification is another that requires years of planning and effort.

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Average Salary: $113,320

CISA certification is ISACA's oldest, dating back to 1978, with more than 115,000 people certified since its inception. Of those, 78,640 are still certified. CISA certification requires at least five years of experience in IS auditing, control or security, in addition to passing an exam that is only offered three times per year. Maintaining CISA certification means earning continuing education credits each year.

CISA certification is usually obtained by those whose job responsibilities include auditing, monitoring, controlling, and/or assessing IT and/or business systems. It is designed to test the candidate's ability to manage vulnerabilities and propose controls, processes, and updates to a company's policies to ensure compliance with accepted IT and business standards.

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Routing & Switching

Average Salary: $112,858

CCIE Routing and Switching is one of the highest-level certifications available. Only the Cisco Certified Architect is higher, and it is aimed more at networking designers and architects than implementers and troubleshooters as this CCIE is. As such, CCIE Routing and Switching is the highest-paying Cisco certification on this list. With this certification, along with an associate-level and two professional-level certifications, Cisco has the most certifications in the top 15 this year. There are other CCIE tracks-collaboration, data center, security, service provider and wireless & all command a similarly high salary, but none of the others met our list's requirement to have at least 100 survey responses.

Unlike most Cisco certifications and many others at this level, there are no formal prerequisites for CCIE Routing and Switching in terms of training or certification. You simply must pass a written exam and then pass an eight-hour hands-on, in-person lab exam. Cisco currently operates 10 CCIE lab exam locations around the world-two are in the United States.

Topics covered on the two exams include technologies used in Layers 2 and 3, security, VPNs, & infrastructure services such as Quality of Service (QoS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

CCIE Routing and Switching is considered an industry-leading networking certification. There are only about 27,000 CCIEs in routing and switching in the world, and about a quarter of them have not met the recertification requirements, so professionals with this level of expertise are in higher demand and, therefore, command a higher salary.

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Data Center

Average Salary: $107,045

Though associate-level Cisco certifications have been around a very long time, the data center certification track that includes CCNA, CCNP and CCIE levels were introduced in 2012. The track is aimed at data center technologies, such as networking (especially with Nexus physical and virtual switches), storage (especially converged storage involving Fibre Chanel over Ethernet [FCoE] and standard network traffic on the same network infrastructure and cards), compute (primarily around Cisco's UCS technologies), virtualization and various network services, such as global and local load balancing.

Achieving CCNA Data Center certification requires passing two exams. The first is focused primarily on the networking aspects, especially the Nexus technologies, including configuring & verifying their operation, VLANs, coming up with an IP address scheme, etc. The second exam covers primarily unified computing (UCS setup & configuration), virtualization (server & device virtualization and the Nexus 1000V virtual switch), and storage networking (including FCoE, SAN connectivity, zoning and Virtual Storage Area Network [VSAN]). Together these two exams verify familiarity with a large portion of common data center technologies implemented by Cisco.

Due to the broad nature of this exam and the widespread use of Cisco technologies, this is a great place for those interested in data center administration to begin certification.

Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)

Average Salary: $105,008

CCDP is a professional-level Cisco certification-that's the level between the entry-level associate tracks and the expert level that we covered in the previous two certifications. Professional-level certification tracks show a greater depth and specialization in certain topics than the associate- level ones. CCDP certification is designed for senior-level architects who want to design more advanced network topologies and services. There are three exams required for this certification- two are focused on implementation (routing and switching) and one on architecting. The two implementation exams are required for this certification, as well as for the CCNP Routing and Switching certification.

Topics covered on the implementation exams include the technologies associated with switching (discovery protocols, trunking, spanning tree, LACP, etc., including the security features available at this layer) and routing (TCP versus UDP operation, frame relay, subnetting, DHCP, routing protocols, including features and limitations, VPN technologies, and the security options at this layer). In addition to the practical implementation details, CCDP validates knowledge of designing for proper and optimal use of the protocols covered on the implementation exams, as well as high availability, small and large multisite campus networks, edge connectivity with other networks, designing for the large data center, using network virtualization technologies, & much more on the security of all of the above.

This combination of design and implementation skills is what makes this certification more challenging to achieve.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

Average Salary: $103,297

The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) created and manages CEH certification, which is aimed at security officers and auditors, site administrators, and others responsible for network and data security. The exam is designed to test a candidate's abilities to prod for holes, weaknesses & vulnerabilities in a company's network defenses using techniques & methods that hackers employ. The difference between a hacker and a CEH is that a hacker wants to cause damage, steal information, etc., while the CEH wants to fix the deficiencies found.

CEH exam topics include scanning networks, malware threats, session hijacking, denial of service, social engineering, hacking wireless networks, hacking mobile platforms, cryptography, cloud computing, and evading IDS, firewalls, and honeypots.

Given the many attacks and great volume of personal data at risk and the legal liabilities possible, the need for CEHs is quite high, hence the salaries reported.

Six Sigma Green Belt

Average Salary: $102,594

Six Sigma is a process of analyzing defects-that is, anything outside a customer's specifications -in a production/manufacturing process, with a goal of no more than 3.4 defects per million "opportunities" or chances for a defect to occur. The basic idea is to measure defects, analyze why they occurred and then fix the issue(s). There is a Six Sigma process for improving existing processes and a slightly modified version for new processes or major changes. Motorola pioneered the concept in the mid-1980s, and many other companies have since followed their examples to improve quality.

Unlike most of the other certifications on this list, Six Sigma Green Belt is not IT-specific. Instead it's primarily focused on manufacturing and producing better quality products. No standards organization owns it, and there is no standard certification exam. In fact, some organizations can certify an individual for simply taking a course or participating in a project. Many university and for-profit groups offer training.

Since no organization owns Six Sigma certification per se, the specific skills and number of levels of mastery vary depending on the organization or certifying company. Entry level is typically Green Belt, progressing to Black Belt and Master Black Belt.

Citrix Certified Professional - Virtualization (CCP-V)

Average Salary: $102,138

CCP-V is a newer certification from Citrix that replaced Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE) certification, which was retired in November 2014. Focused on XenDesktop 7, CCP-V requires that candidates have already earned Citrix Certified Associate - Virtualization (CCA-V) certification. CCA-V certification covers the basics of managing, maintaining, monitoring and troubleshooting, while CCP-V certifies that candidates can deploy applications and virtual desktops using a variety of Citrix technologies, primarily XenDesktop 7, as well as some aspects of XenServer and NetScaler. CCP-V certification is valid for three years.

Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP) Security

Average Salary: $101,414

The fourth Cisco-related certification and the sixth security-related certification on this year's list is CCNP Security. Achieving CCNP Security certification requires that you have achieved CCNA Security or any CCIE and that you pass four security implementation exams covering secure access, edge network security, secure mobility and threat control.

The Implementing Cisco Secure Access Solutions (SISAS) exam focuses primarily on identity management, including 802.1x, RADIUS, LDAP and BYOD issues, as well as threat defense, including the Cisco TrustSec architecture used in a wide variety of Cisco products from switches to routers to wireless access to firewalls.

The Implementing Cisco Edge Network Security Solutions (SENSS) exam covers firewalls, Layer 2 security, Cisco network device hardening, Cisco Security Manager, NetFlow, logging and virtualization/cloud security.

The Implementing Cisco Secure Mobility Solutions (SIMOS) exam covers remote access and site-to-site VPNs in detail, as well as common encryption and hashing algorithms and PKI. The Implementing Cisco Threat Control Solutions (SITCS) exam covers a wide range of cisco security devices, the role of Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs), and how to design secure Web, email, and general application solutions.

As you can see from the exams, the expertise required to achieve CCNP Security certification is quite broad, covering a wide range of security-related topics at a practical implementation level. Networking security is already very popular and growing at a rate of five percent per year, and many of the areas inside security are growing much faster, including mobile security (18 percent) and cloud security (50 percent). This makes security a very good area for job growth and salary growth until the supply of and demand for certified security professionals is more in balance, which may take several years at least.

ITIL® v3 Foundation

Average Salary: $99,869

ITIL was created by England's government in the 1980s to standardize IT management. It is a set of best practices for aligning the services IT provides with the needs of the organization. It is broad-based, covering everything from availability and capacity management to change and incident management, in addition to application and IT operations management.

Formerly known as the IT Infrastructure Library, ITIL is composed of a set of books. 5 books define the various project life cycle stages: ØService Strategy, where organizational & customer needs are determined & documented. ØService Design, where the defined service strategy gets turned into a plan for meeting those needs. ØService Transition, which covers how to add new services into an existing environment. ØService Operation, covering how to manage the deployed services. ØContinual Service Improvement, which covers both incremental & major upgrades to the deployed services.

Over the last 30 years, ITIL has become the most widely used framework for IT management in the world. ITIL standards are owned by AXELOS, a joint venture company created by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and Capita plc, and they have authorized partners who provide education, training and certification. The governing body defined the certification tiers, and they leave it to the accredited partners to develop the training and certification around that framework.

ITIL Foundation is the entry-level ITIL certification and provides a broad-based understanding of the IT life cycle and the concepts and terminology surrounding it. Anyone wishing for higher-level certifications must have ITIL Foundation first, so people may have higher certifications and still list this certification in the survey, which may skew the average salary somewhat.

VMware Certified Professional 5 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP5-DCV)

Average Salary: $99,334

The VMware Certified Professional (VCP) is VMware's oldest and former entry-level certification. As VMware's product portfolio has grown over the last several years, the company decided that a single certification was not sufficient. Now, VMware Certified Associate (VCA) is the entry-level certification, and several VCP tracks exist, enabling VCPs to specialize.

The only VCP track to break the top 15 this year-due to number of responses, not salary-is the Data Center Virtualization track, the largest and oldest of the VCP tracks. VCP-DCV certifies one's knowledge of and ability to perform basic deployment and administration of vCenter and ESXi.

According to VMware's policy established in 2014, in order to remain certified, every two years, VCPs must recertify on their current track, take an exam in another VCP track or take a higher-level exam. Also, with the release of vSphere 6, becoming certified requires two exams: a Foundations exam that applies to all tracks and a track-focused exam.

Honorable Mentions Based on Popularity

A few certifications stand out in our survey results for their popularity. Though ITIL Foundation is by far the most popular of the highest-paying certifications, it is still not as popular as the first four in the list below. In fact, nearly three times as many certified professionals reported holding at least one of the first four certifications below. That makes these ideal jumping off points for higher certifications and indicates that specializing in an area can help you stand out and increase your pay. This list also shows that, based on our salary survey responses, even entry-level certifications pay pretty well.

Popularity Certification Salary : ØA+ $72,546 ØCCNA Routing and Switching $79,942 ØNetwork+ $74,828 ØSecurity+ $81,467 ØCCNP Routing and Switching $95,881

Notable Trends

Of this year's top-paying certifications : ØAll but two of the top 15 certifications pay $100,000 or more, and the two that don't are just a few hundred dollars shy. ØSix are in security (2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 13). ØThree are in virtualization and cloud computing (1, 12 and 15). ØThree are in business (5, 11 and 14). ØThree are in networking (7, 8 and 9).

Conclusion

If you're looking to improve your skills and possibly your salary, check out the certifications I've covered here. Consider your current skill set and whether a related skill or a management skill may help power your career to the next level. For example, if you already know storage or networking, consider pursuing a certification in virtualization or cloud computing. Or, break out of your technical track and get on a management track by taking an ITIL or PMP course and getting certified in one of those areas.