The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at the federal (national), state and local levels. On a national level, the head of state, the President, is elected indirectly by the people, through an Electoral College. Today, the electors virtually always vote with the popular vote of their state. All members of the federal legislature, the Congress, are directly elected. There are many elected offices at state level, each state having at least an elective governor and legislature. There are also elected offices at the local level, in counties and cities. It is estimated that across the whole country, over one million offices are filled in every electoral cycle.

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early and offer promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth Nations.

There are over 50 countries where coffee beans are grown, but the majority of commercially available coffees come from a few very industrialized countries that have not only perfect growing conditions, but also keep a consistent flavor to their beans through mass-farming and quality control methods.

How much do you pay for your daily indulgences? Are you considering cutting out your daily espresso because it costs so much? Before you start groaning about paying out $4 for a cup of your favorite luxury coffee drink, take a peek at the latest Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey. Each year, Mercer’s measures the cost of about 200 items in 143 cities