Thinking of what education might look like in the next decade, one quickly realizes that the trends in technology are leaving a large number of our students behind. We no longer live in an age of visible movement when it comes to progress and innovation. Today is an age of exponential change. New and ever-improving technologies are popping up every day and in every corner of society.Educating the best and the brightest in this brave new world will take a new and improved educational paradigm. Allowing our educational tools to age in the corner of the classroom will be the mistake that may cost us our future. Throwing away masses of children to inequitable access will ensure that we languish at the bottom of the global pool of employable workers for decades to come.The New ToolboxI was at an auction a few years ago and noticed a few old woodworking tools that I thought I could use. For a few bucks, I was able to snag an assortment of hand tools that may have been in someone’s toolbox for a generation or more. As the next decade passed, I used these tools in my shop for a wide variety of projects until my projects outgrew these old, dull tools. My woodworking creations continued to improve as did my skills and artistry. I quickly discovered that using improved tools would translate into improved craftsmanship. As any woodworker will tell you, new tools require new skills.Woodworking is a great metaphor for shaping and molding students. There is simply no good substitute for a sharp tool. If you want to build the best projects possible, you need to use the best tools possible. Thinking in terms of the next decade for our country, we will be sorely disappointed in our projects if we fail to improve our tools.Within this article, I will try to paint a picture of how technology will shape the way we educate students in the next decade. I will attempt to show the amazing possibilities that lay before us if we will simply walk through the doorway of opportunity that is open to us. My focus will be this idea: Transforming the student from being a passenger to becoming a “user.” You may be wondering what I mean by this. Let me explain.Ask yourself what it means to be a “user.” A user is not simply a person who uses. For the student, being a user should involve using the latest technology in a free and autonomous manner. This new-found freedom will allow the student to become an active participant in his/her education instead of a passive passenger. No other time in history have we been so able to make this a reality.In our current technological society, being a user also means being tracked. Tracking has become a major part of our daily lives and is precisely the engine that should drive our educational process for the foreseeable future. Tracking a student means having the ability to target education toward weaknesses and strengths. The ability to accurately customize curriculum to the individual has been the holy grail of educational philosophy for many years. This golden age of technological development may soon enable this dream to become a reality.Current educational curriculum and individual assessment is arbitrary at best. Being able to accurately asses a student can only be achieved by using modern tracking and database technologies. The means by which we can make this a reality is readily available and only needs to be taken off the shelf to be used. If Congress is looking for a shovel-ready project, this may be the one.Imagine a world where every child has a tablet computer with ready access to the App of virtual photographic memory (internet). Further, imagine that every student can access all the knowledge of humankind freely at any moment in time. Continue to imagine a world where a misspelled word brings up a spelling challenge application instead of an auto correction. Try to contemplate what it would mean for a teacher to have a database of every misspelled word, every misunderstood concept or every missed equation for each of their students. Try to envision a teacher with the ability to customize the experience of the individual “user” with minimal effort. Imagine the curriculum being automatically targeted to the user through an intuitive educational platform that knows every strength and each unique weakness. I could go on, but I think you get the point.The company that makes this standard available to the educational community will be the company that shapes the future of humankind. Will it be Google, Apple, Microsoft, or some other yet unknown pioneer?Continuing from the thoughts in my last post, I would like to elaborate on the idea of the student as a user of a new standardized educational platform. It is obvious to me that the future of education will always mirror our everyday lives in one way or another. If you examine how technology has influenced your daily life already, you begin to put together a snapshot of what it will mean to be educated in the next decade.In the last few hundred years, most individuals would consider an education as something you receive. You often hear the question asked, “Where did you receive your education?” As we proceed through the next decade, education will slowly move away from reception and toward being custom designed for the individual user. New technology will not only allow us to receive an education, but also develop an education. The question we might ask in 10 years is, “How did you develop your education?” The question of where will still be important, but the how of the matter will be the focus that defines the individual.To make this a reality we will need a standardized platform from which to develop a student’s unique education. This standardized platform will allow us to tailor a custom curriculum that will be matched to talents, interests and life goals. For the educator, a standardized platform will create a way to assist the student in discovering a true purpose in life through a unique educational experience. The basics of reading, writing and arithmetic will not be taught as much as they will be discovered and used. Learning will become a reciprocal experience between the teacher, the student and the machine.Under a standardized platform, each of these three participants will have a role to play. The teacher will be the facilitator, assisting the development of the curriculum and inspiring the direction the student takes. The student will be the user, gathering resources, skills and knowledge in an efficient and measured sequence. The machine will do the work of data gathering and analysis, which will assist the teacher and student in refining the curriculum. This data gathering work of the machine will also free the teacher from the burden of record-keeping and tedious tasks that currently distract from the real job of teaching and learning.Under a standardized system, grade level will be far less important. Achievement and progression will be measured by accomplishment and intelligence as a benchmark for success. The question of failure or success will be irrelevant and replaced with a standard and consistent measurement of potential and overall intelligence. Information will no longer be missed but continually rehearsed and monitored for retention by the machine.In our current educational paradigm, the teacher is in charge of arbitrarily constructing curriculum. This approach to curriculum development is based on inexperience in some cases, outdated materials, inadequate funding and a shortage of time. Measuring the success of a specific curriculum is currently impossible. With a standardized system, comparisons of curricular success can be made across the entire spectrum of education and then continually reformulated and enhanced by the machine.Sadly, teachers today are bogged down with an assortment of mind-numbing tasks that would be better suited to an off-the-shelf automated system. Tasks such as data tracking, reporting and record keeping are currently accomplished manually. These tasks could easily be delegated to an intuitive database. Developing a standard to follow would eliminate these tasks and free the teacher to do their main job of teaching students.Education 3.0Throughout history, man has sought to pass on knowledge to the next generation. This process started with oral tradition, storytelling and writing. With the advent of the printing press, knowledge and information slowly became available to the masses. The amount of information that could be gained by one human in a lifetime was severely limited by his access to printed materials and wealth. The majority of learning was gained through observation and imitation. We can call this Education 1.0.Education 2.0 starts around the late eighteen hundreds with universal literacy movements throughout newly industrialized regions of the world. Improvements in education slowly transitioned from apprenticeship to formal education and training. Despite our movements toward universal education, access to knowledge and opportunity continues to be inequitable throughout the world. Even with the arrival of the computer revolution, access to the tools of learning continues to define the learner.The next decade may mark the moment in history when all men are granted equal access to the greatest treasure a soul can possess. I use the word may in the last sentence because there is the chance that we will miss this golden opportunity. Access to Education 3.0 will only be gained through investment and universal standardization. If we continue to divert wealth toward fruitless goals and corporate greed, this opportunity will be lost or hopelessly delayed.Education 3.0, when it arrives, will be the age of universal enlightenment. Platforms for education and learning will slowly standardize and become globally accessible and affordable. The poorest to the wealthiest will have access to the machine that runs the platform.The thought on your mind at this point is most likely wondering what machine I keep referring to. The machine in question is the one we have been so busy teaching and training since roughly 1969. You’ve probably guessed it by now that I am referring to the internet. The great cloud of knowledge that we call the internet is precisely the mechanism that we will use to build the platform of Education 3.0. When the platform is finally in place, the decade to follow will see the greatest amount of wealth, discoveries and use of human potential that we have witnessed during our time on this earth. The only question that remains to be answered is the point at which I will leave this article.When will we allow the user to use the machine to its potential?

There are multiple determinants to health. And you do want to address as many as you can through your work site wellness program, correct?Essentially, in the workplace setting, employee health is determined as a function of individual practices, organizational practices and the greater community in which the organization resides. In order to approach employee health holistically then, the workplace wellness program must address these three levels.Individual Health DeterminantsResearchers estimate that the individual determinants of health account for up to an estimated 40% of how healthy an individual is. At the individual level, biology, genetics, age and gender all impact individual health. Researchers estimate that these physiological determinants of health account for approximately 10% of how healthy an individual is.Researchers have also found that an individual’s experiences in childhood impact how healthy they are in adulthood. Experiencing trauma in childhood adversely influences how healthy they are in adulthood.Individual lifestyle factors, personal health practices and coping skills also play a significant role in how healthy an individual is. Researchers estimate that these could account for up to 40% of how healthy an individual is.The traditional approach to worksite wellness has typically focused on individual health and lifestyle factors and personal health practices in particular.Organization Determinants of HealthResearchers have clearly established that a person’s health is also determined by social and economic factors, as well as individual factors. These are commonly classified as the social determinants of health. Research has estimated that the social determinants of health account for between 15 – 40% of how healthy the individual is.Management practices in the workplace contribute significantly to employee health and wellbeing. Management practices can either contribute to or detract from employee health and wellbeing.The work environment clearly influences and impacts the health and psychosocial wellbeing of employees. There is extensive evidence on the connection between the workplace and employee health and wellbeing. Many workplace conditions profoundly influence employee behavior, health and wellbeing.If the workplace is unhealthy, why would we ever expect employees to be healthy? It is for this reason that effective, successful 21st century worksite wellness programs focus just as much on organizational health, as they do individual employee health.Community Determinants of HealthEmployees and employers do not exist in isolation. Both are influenced by the community in which they live, work, play and operate. Typical community determinants of health include the physical environment (air quality, water quality, sanitation, etc.), the social environment and the cultural environment. Included in the environment is access to healthcare and social services.While healthy employees are good for an employer, healthy work places are good for the community. Being seen as a great place to work is good for the employer, but also good for the community. The more great places to work there are in the community, the healthier the community will be.Through corporate social responsibility type initiatives, employers are also contributing to the health of the community.Worksite wellness in the 21st century is more than just a focus on the health status of employees. Worksite wellness encompasses programming and interventions at the organizational and community levels as well.

Borrowing money is as American as apple pie. Americans borrow money to purchase houses, to finance automobiles, and to pay for luxury items on their credit cards every day. It is a rare individual that can pay all cash for their house, their car, or their credit card bill every month. The U.S. economy thrives on credit because of the recycling of cash when these purchases occur. America is an economic powerhouse, partly because collectively we borrow so much money to have things today, instead of saving the cash to buy these items some day, if ever, in the future. Economic theorists are of the opinion that when you purchase a house, the cash recycles about seven times: to the realtor, to the title company, to the mortgage broker, to the lender, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, and so forth.We live in the land of opportunity. You do not need a college degree or pedigree to become an entrepreneur. All you need is the ability to organize, manage, and assume the risks of a business with a sufficient amount of cash to fund the business.Borrowing money is the American paradigm for success for individuals and for businesses. According the American Heritage Dictionary, a “paradigm is:1. One that serves as a pattern or model.2. A set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or of one of its grammatical categories: the paradigm of an irregular verb.3. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.Usage Note: Paradigm first appeared in English in the 15th century, meaning “an example or pattern,” and it still bears this meaning today: Their company is a paradigm of the small high-tech firms that have recently sprung up in this area. For nearly 400 years paradigm has also been applied to the patterns of inflections that are used to sort the verbs, nouns, and other parts of speech of a language into groups that are more easily studied. Since the 1960s, paradigm has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework, as when Nobel Laureate David Baltimore cited the work of two colleagues that “really established a new paradigm for our understanding of the causation of cancer.” Thereafter, researchers in many different fields, including sociology and literary criticism, often saw themselves as working in or trying to break out of paradigms. Applications of the term in other contexts show that it can sometimes be used more loosely to mean “the prevailing view of things.” The Usage Panel splits down the middle on these nonscientific uses of paradigm. Fifty-two percent disapprove of the sentence The paradigm governing international competition and competitiveness has shifted dramatically in the last three decades.”For more dictionary information please see: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.What does this have to do with accounts receivable financing?Banks exist primarily to loan money to people and businesses, on a safe and sound basis according to federal banking regulations. The banking paradigm for businesses involves offering checking and savings accounts to take money in, and offering various types of business and personal loans to “get the money out”. Their goal is to make a profit on your cash for the bank. To qualify for these loans you have to prove, to the bank’s satisfaction, that you have the clear and present ability to repay these loans. If you are a startup company, a company that is growing very rapidly, or an established company that is affected by a sudden negative event, the banking paradigm may not work for you. Perhaps, you need to think differently; perhaps your perspective is “inside the banking paradigm box” and you need an alternative.What is inside the box thinking? According to ‘Thinking Outside the Box’? By Ed Bernacki Published April 2002:”Thinking inside the box means accepting the status quo. For example, Charles H. Duell, Director of the US Patent Office, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” That was in 1899: clearly he was in the box!In-the-box thinkers find it difficult to recognize the quality of an idea. An idea is an idea. A solution is a solution. In fact, they can be quite pigheaded when it comes to valuing an idea. They rarely invest time to turn a mediocre solution into a great solution.”Mr. Bernacki distinguishes “inside the box” thinking vs. “thinking outside the box” as follows:”Outside the Box
Thinking outside the box requires different attributes that include:o Willingness to take new perspectives to day-to-day work.o Openness to do different things and to do things differently.o Focusing on the value of finding new ideas and acting on them.o Striving to create value in new ways.o Listening to others.o Supporting and respecting others when they come up with new ideas.Out-of-the box thinking requires openness to new ways of seeing the world and a willingness to explore. Out-of-the box thinkers know that new ideas need nurturing and support. They also know that having an idea is good but acting on it is more important. Results are what count.”
If your B2B business does not have enough bank credit to expand at the rate you need, or if your B2B business cannot take advantage of growth opportunities because of lack of funds, you may need to think differently: think outside the box. Think of using the virtually unlimited financing that is available from accounts receivable financing.To think differently, you may need to overcome the two most common “inside the box” concerns regarding accounts receivable financing.Objection: “Our customers will not want do business with our company if they know we are dealing with a commercial financing company to finance our accounts receivable”.Think Differently: Accounts receivable financing allows you to offer credit terms, like the bank. Many businesses prefer to resell your products or services and earn a profit before they have to pay you for your product or service. Accounts receivable financing generally involves notification to your customers of the arrangement to “manage” your receivables; and verification from your customers that your product or services were “satisfactory”. From your customer’s point of view, someone in their account’s payable department is changing the “pay to” portion of their check to the address of a commercial finance company. Usually the check is cut payable to you and sent to a P.O. Box of the commercial finance company. In certain situations, notification may not be required at all; this is called non-notification factoring.Objection: “Accounts receivable financing is too costly”.Think Differently: Accounts receivable financing is a paradigm for success; you will have the necessary working capital you need to fulfill larger orders by accelerating your cash flow. You will need a gross margin of 20% or more, in general, for this type of financing to make economic sense. There is an inverse relationship between the cost of financing and the size of your credit facility: the larger the credit facility, the lower the cost. In other words, the fees and rates will be less for $500,000 per month than for $25,000 per month.The bottom line: Accounts Receivable Financing- Think Differently! is intended to help you think “outside the box” and become more profitable. One tried and true paradigm for achieving this result as an entrepreneur with a B2B business is accounts receivable financing.Copyright © 2007 Gregg Financial Services

Ignorance is not bliss in online marketing. Common errors by inexperienced entrepreneurs can result in poor sales largely because few people visit their website. Why? Because little or no effort has been invested in the website’s search engine optimization, probably the most important aspect of having a website to date.If you have a website, you are probably aware that where it comes up in everyday Google searches can make or break you. If I’ve lost you already, let me explain. Everyone using the Internet nowadays has particular interests and at one time or another will type a short phrase into the Google search field in order to find websites that represent their interests. For instance, if they have been invited to attend a baby shower, they may search the Internet by using the phrase “baby shower gifts.” What happens next is critical to your website if you happen to sell baby gifts. Listed on page one of the Google search results will be the most popular websites offering baby gifts, ranked mysteriously by a Google algorithm which takes into account the amount of traffic a site may get, how many outside links connect with this site, how relevant its domain name, page title, page description and actual content are to the phrase that was searched, how “rich” or all-encompassing that content may be, how often that content is updated, how many internal site links relate to the search, as well as the fulfillment of a gamut of other search engine optimization parameters.While most people with a website have heard of search engine optimization or SEO, the majority of business owners I have worked with regard it as a non-essential service designed to rob them of their precious marketing funds for no apparent benefit. And it doesn’t help that their Spam filters are brimming over with emails on a daily basis from SEO “experts” promising them the top spot in Google rankings. I admit that does get a little tedious and hard to swallow!For that reason, I include SEO as part of my website design services which removes any reason for my clients to bristle about its expense. In fact, it is with relief that they applaud this decision since they’d prefer to work with someone they trust. From my standpoint, it gives me a chance to show them an improvement in their rankings which in turn increases traffic and sales. Many of them say I am a magician. But I know it is just being aware of what Google is looking for.One Big Reason Your Rankings May Be SufferingIf you happen to be part of an extremely common category of websites such as baby gifts, for instance, the likelihood of your website appearing as the number one search result, not to mention even appearing on page one of the first twenty search results, is pretty remote. In fact, it would not be surprising if your website came up on page 1,056 of all search results when you realize that a Google search for baby gifts just returned 24,200,000 results in 0.22 seconds.Wow! That’s some steep competition! And which lucky website appears at the top of the list? I clicked on it and found it to be extremely well-represented in the category of baby gifts, with many choices, and lots of buying options presented in a professional and attractive manner. I also found it was hosted by Yahoo Stores which probably facilitated cutting-edge, sophisticated functionality in terms of shopping cart performance, in addition to advanced assistance in search engine optimization.This did not surprise me. Since I have clients who have stores on eBay and Amazon in addition to an e-commerce website of their own which uses an excellent shopping cart powered by ShopSite, I am well aware that you can easily reap the benefits of relationships with such Internet behemoths in boosting your Google ranking. Whether the additional registrations I have conducted for all my clients’ websites with Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics also contribute to excellent search rankings is not a confirmed fact, I would venture to say that if the associations with Google doesn’t positively affect their rankings, certainly the knowledge gleaned from them does!My daily foray deep into the visitor analysis for each and every one of my websites gives me a definite competitive edge in understanding what affects visitations, searches, rankings and results. Further, each of the Internet giants I have mentioned has a financial stake in the success of its stores by sharing in a percentage of sales, charging listing fees or charging a monthly shopping cart fee, all of which I consider well worth the money! You definitely get what you pay for.Of course, I can’t argue with the value of using PayPal as your store’s payment gateway which allows you to utilize their wonderfully complete functionality to accept credit cards for free! Years ago, some of my clients were paying exorbitant monthly fees to banks for such services, many of which were deficient in performance and pitifully weak in back-office support. It is truly refreshing to have found some of today’s Internet giants to be both easily accessible and wonderfully responsive to user needs!And I should add that the ultimate leader of the pack, Google, offers unbelievable options in terms of a knowledge base on practically every possible subject, at no charge…yet is one of the richest companies in the cosmos.What To Do To Improve Your Google RankingsBut back to your baby gift website and its less-than-stellar Google search rankings. What can you do to improve your ranking if you are competing with the entire world? First, just as I would recommend in any marketing effort, your e-commerce website would perform better in Google rankings if it were appealing to a special segment of a market rather than an entire generic category worldwide. Instead of targeting “gifts,” or even “baby gifts,” better to try to narrow the category down to describe a more unique aspect of baby gifts, thematically, geographically or some other way which makes your effort different from all the rest. While you will still be competing with a huge number of other websites, if by chance someone is more specific in their search terms to include your specialty, your Google ranking may be positively affected. Another helpful strategy is to include a blog as part of your website because that content gets updated more regularly and will attract Google’s attention. Generally, while I continue to advise being frugal with your marketing expenditures during this economic downturn, I urge you to be sure to promote your website everywhere you can to increase traffic on your own. In addition to adding your website’s URL (www.yourwebsite.com) to every mode of marketing you use including your email signature, your business cards, letterheads, advertising, newsletters, flyers, conversational networking opportunities, etc., it is also your responsibility to scour the Internet for the endless array of sites that will include free listings about your business such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yellow Pages, Yahoo and Google Free Local Listings, etc., as well as Forums and Blogs on appropriate subjects where comments can be posted including linkbacks to your website.In analyzing your Google rankings, don’t put too much emphasis on your fear that perhaps it is your web designer’s fault for not having a facility for beautiful graphics because Google doesn’t even see the artwork on your website. And if it did, Google search rankings place no importance on how innovative, striking, appropriate or tasteful your artwork may be, sad to say. Rather, search engine optimization techniques required for successful ranking rely more on strategies which can ironically serve to denigrate a website’s aesthetics if not controlled by a web designer who has a complete understanding of what is necessary to achieve Google’s parameters while keeping a grasp on what maintains professionalism and viewer allure in website design.Often, when I conduct a search on Google in a particular subject just to see what competition may exist for a client I am working for, I am disgusted by the look of some of the websites which have made it to the tops of the search return lists because clearly they have achieved their enviable position in the returns by nothing related to graphic design sophistication! Yet, their SEO specialists (if not the web owners themselves) have cracked Google’s code for ranking superiority by virtue of simply comprehending what defines a properly optimized website regardless of how it looks! I often wonder if there is a certain bonding that occurs among computer geeks that gives them a universal commonality making it a cinch to master the voodoo of SEO unlike others of us who focus more on the importance of appearances and branding excellence.In any case, I am happy to report that both aspects can peacefully coexist to the benefit of the owner of the website who can enjoy an outstanding presence at the top of the search charts while winning the hearts of shoppers with the glamour, guile and glitz Google has missed altogether.

If you’re in sales, then you’ve probably heard all sorts of advice, from “don’t oversell” to “focus on solving problems.” However, one of the best pieces of advice that many forget is to smile! After all, your smile is one of the first features people notice about you, and it plays an essential role in the first impression you make. Keep reading to learn all about the importance of a smile in sales (as well as how cosmetic dentistry can help!).

Smile: Your Sale Depends on It!

Knowing your product and knowing your audience are key in sales. However, you don’t get far if your client doesn’t trust you or believe you. That’s why it’s so important to make a good first impression! Here are a few ways a smile can help:

• Smiling is more powerful than you might think – One study found that smiling has the same effect on our brain as $25,000 in cash!

• Smiling communicates your state of mind – Smiling is a non-verbal cue that you are happy to be where you are, that you are confident in your product, and that you are ready and willing to help.

• Smiling creates a ripple effect of positivity – Have you ever seen a friend yawn and done the same? Or seen someone take a sip of water and immediately realized you’re thirsty? Thanks to the mirroring neurons in our brains, we naturally mimic the behavior of those around us.

But What If You Don’t Like Your Smile?

If you don’t like your smile, don’t worry – that’s where cosmetic dentistry comes in. Whether you’re struggling with misaligned, misshapen, cracked, or otherwise imperfect teeth, your smile goals aren’t out of reach. The first step? Scheduling an appointment with a skilled cosmetic dentist. For both my father and myself, providing high-quality, personalized, and judgment-free dentistry is a passion. There’s truly nothing better than seeing someone walk out of our office with a dazzling, confident smile! So, don’t wait to make your dream smile a reality – it could make all of the difference when it comes to your personal and professional life!

Where to buy beautiful rugs, floor mats and more. Including unique t-shirts, dresses, bags and artworks. All in one website with free shipping worldwide!

QueenNoble.com is the exclusive online art gallery and home décor online store where items were designed by artist QueenNoble Dr. Elle Ramirez. You can get all your home decorating needs in one place without worrying the shipping fee. You can collect all her original art pieces and open editions from your comfort zone in just few clicks. All original artworks will be shipped straight from the country of exhibition with free shipping worldwide. Home décor on QueenNoble is not your usual home decoration items. Every items were designed by QueenNoble Dr. Elle Ramirez exclusively made from handmade paintings turned to manipulated photos to make stunning designs for every home décor items such as the rugs, lamps, wall decors and more. Of course the original artworks of QueenNoble are all available to every collectors who collect only original artworks. The prints are premium quality, framed and ready to hang for everyone’s convenience. Rugs, lamps, pillows and others are designed by QueenNoble, and then manufactured by partnered companies in Europe and in The United States.

The artist And Designer QueenNoble

Dr. Elle Ramirez also known as QueenNoble is an American international fine arts artist, designer, sculptor, photographer and an author. Dr. Ramirez creates rare textured and embossed abstract artworks from wall sculptures to embossed paintings. Her career began from year 2006 up to this present day. (See Wikipedia.)

QueenNoble is known for her textured and embossed abstract artworks mimicking planets, natural stones and rocks, abstract engraved portraits, several monochromatic and vivid concepts.

“Live Minimal” is one of QueenNoble’s art books released year 2021. (See Google Scholar Books)

QueenNoble is also an author of several mental health books like “Quarantine: The Challenges During Quarantine and How to Keep Our Sanity”. QueenNoble is also the author of the Novel called, “The Cart Season 1”. (See more on Amazon)

One Of A Kind Products You Can Buy On QueenNoble

One of a kind luxury collectibles with certificate. Unique items designed and curated by QueenNoble Dr. Elle Ramirez are now available on the official website. One collectible is to one collector or owner. Collectibles can be a wallet, bag, a piece of art, a furniture, a dress or a shirt and more. A first come first served basis. Handmade with love and attention. Own something that no one has in the entire world. Only on QueenNoble. What will you get on the top of that? You will receive a certificate of authenticity upon receiving your item. Free shipping worldwide. Free repair and replacement in case of a major manufacture error. Most items are handmade and are genuine leather so slight imperfections are visible which are the signs of most genuine leathers in the market. Varieties of items and vast selections although items are very quick to be sold.

Who does not want a one of a kind item? It is really disliked to run to someone with the same exact dress in an occasion or a business meeting! Now on QueenNoble not only original hand-painted artworks are available now you get to wear an art yourself anywhere and anytime. Display a furniture or a décor and be asked by a friend or a colleague, “Where can I buy one?” and of course the answer is “You can’t buy that in the market.” Because It is only one!

What happens after you buy a one of a kind on QueenNoble? The price increases yearly for 10 years. What an investment for yourself or a luxurious lifetime gift for a special someone!

From the author’s words:

If you are a collector and a shopper, QueenNoble is definitely where to go specially if you are looking for unique designer’s décor such as rugs, comforters, bags, wall art etc. A lot of selections to choose from. The designs are contemporary and modern. In one look you know where the products are from since you can only find them on queennoble.com. The processes are also very convenient and shipping is fast worldwide.

I bought a one of a kind bag. When I received it it came with an envelope consisting the certificate. The leather bag is stunning. Fast shipping and free delivery. They also offer free repair in case there is a manufacturer error for free.

Note also that if you are a merchant you can sign up on their trading program. There is a 15-30% commission. Less work for you all you do is share the url of the product and your designated coupon code which you’ll receive when you sign up and you get paid everytime someone uses your coupon code. Sound interesting right? Copy code, share url and code on your social media and earn as you go.

QueenNoble is also on Saatchiart, Artmajeur, Singulart Galleries. On QueenNoble’s original artworks, all artworks with certificate of authenticity will be shipped straight to the collector from the current exhibited country and also free shipping worldwide.

Anti-ligature blinds are becoming increasingly popular in a range of different settings. The way these blinds differ from traditional blinds is that they are designed to prevent suicide by hanging.

Initially, uptake for this type of blind was largely restricted to high-risk environments such as psychiatric hospitals and prisons, where suicide is common. In mental health environments and detention centres, suicide via hanging is common and preventative measures must be implemented. A huge range of objects could be used to create a ligature point, meaning anti-ligature systems are highly important.

Over the years, anti-ligature blinds have been supplied to hospitals, schools, student accommodation and even hotels.

How do they work?

There are a range of different systems on the market, but the most reliable could well be the magnetic anti-ligature system. YewdaleKestrel® products utilise load release magnets which separate when a downward force is exerted on the product. This means that the product falls to the ground safely and prevents suicide via hanging.

The magnetic systems used in Yewdale’s products are highly reliable because magnets don’t lose their strength for hundreds of years, guaranteeing a lifetime of lifesaving functionality.

Anti-ligature blinds usually have a magnetic connection point above the blind’s barrel. The blind is easy to reconnect to the magnetic bracket after it has fallen to the floor.

If you are considering an anti-ligature blind, Yewdale is a highly recommended company. Based in the UK, Yewdale produce a wide range of anti-ligature products, commercial blinds, and healthcare products including hospital cubicle tracks and medical curtains.

Yewdale produce other anti-ligature products too including a soft, lightweight en-suite door and other accessories such as soap dispensers, toilet roll holder, shelves and artwork. You can see the full range on the website using the link below.

10 Unsafe Symptoms of Cell Phones Usage on Teens

Over and wrong utilization of PDAs can harm mental as well as actual health. Parents might consider giving their teens cell phones for security motivations. Be that as it may, the conceivable abuse and opposite symptoms of cell phones on young people are not obscure. While it effectively is mindful of your kid’s whereabouts, taking into account its antagonistic consequences for teens is significant. As indicated by a review led by the Seat Exploration Center, around 785 of all youngsters between ages 12 and 17 have cell phones (1). It is a typical sight these days to see a gathering of youngsters standing together yet having no discussion and being engaged with themselves. Teens utilize their cell phones to call their folks and do other great and awful things. Around one of every four teens approach the web, definitely more than grown-ups. Look at the post to know whether cells are great for teenagers, the adverse consequences of PDAs, and tips on the safe use of cell phones.

Impacts Of Cell Phones On Youngsters

There is no question that a cell phone is a convenient device. It facilitates correspondence with partners, companions, and family members. However, every innovation that gives such advantages comes with a bunch of adverse consequences. The effect of cell phones on youth and society is tremendous. This region requires consideration when you are giving your high schooler a phone. This is the way PDAs influence, teens.

Teen tendonitis (TTT)
Abundance generation of messages can prompt High schooler Tendonitis (TTT). It causes torment in the hands, back, and neck because of the unfortunate stance. As per a five-year partner study, extreme phone use is known to bring about outer muscle problems, for example, tendonitis and first carpometacarpal joint pain in the lower arm and thumb.

Stress
Having a mobile phone will entice your high schooler to go the entire day talking or messaging as opposed to doing useful things. Studies have demonstrated that youngsters who invest a lot of their energy in their cells are more inclined to pressure, uneasiness, and melancholy. Research has additionally tracked down that extreme utilization of cell phones might bring about an expanded gamble of emotional well-being issues.

Sleep misfortune
Most teenagers keep their phones close by while resting to answer messages and calls and stay reachable nonstop. This might prompt rest interference and disturbance. Investigations have discovered that young people who use cell phones after the lights out experience expanded sluggishness. Additionally, undergrads who use phones after the beginning of rest are accounted for to be alert an extra 46 minutes out of every week.

Mishaps
Adolescents will quite often go to calls and text while driving, which is demonstrated to be risky. As indicated by the Places for Infectious prevention and Counteraction (CDC), adolescents are bound to be diverted more than drivers of some other age. Thus, utilizing a mobile phone while driving ought to be a severe no.

Uneasiness
Depending on messaging as an essential method of correspondence can increment uneasiness in youngsters. Messaging is right away satisfying, yet it likewise creates tension. The moment answered by a companion can give pleasure and euphoria. However, if there should be an occurrence of deferred reaction or no reaction, this equivalent joy can transform into disillusionment. Likewise, mobile phone habit can transform into a fixation to promptly take a look at messages and answer. It might likewise increment tension by making a deception that they had gotten a message in any event, when there was no message, making them regularly look at their telephones (3).

Hazard of malignant growth
Despite the fact that there’s no obvious proof of the connection between wireless use and disease, there are a few measurably huge relationships in certain individuals. Information gathered from five European nations have shown an expanded gamble of acoustic neuroma in people who utilized a cell for at least ten years.

Despite the fact that there is no unmistakable examination supporting the gamble of malignant growth and cell utilization, it is said to have a wide scope of well-being impacts.

Cyberbullying
As indicated by a review led on 13-18-year-olds by Cox Interchanges, 15% of kids had been cyberbullied on the web, 10% had been cyberbullied by cell, and 5% had cyberbullied someone else through a phone.

As indicated by a review, cyberbullying makes young people miserable and reluctant to go to class. This study has likewise observed that youngsters who are cyberbullied have a higher gamble of psychosomatic issues, for example, incessant migraines, issues nodding off, a higher pace of tension, and depression.

Cyberbullying is considerably more challenging to recognize than actual harassment as it will in general be more imperceptible. Additionally, the culprits can take cover behind the obscurity presented by the web.

Bogus distinction
The most recent advancements in cells have made it simple for youngsters to get any data. The majority of the things projected via online entertainment and the Web may not be exact, yet teens who are innocent (at their age) could view them in a serious way and get impacted. This could lead them to live in a dreamland and foster bogus renown. Some may likewise turn to wrongdoings to satisfy their dreams.

Heftiness
Steady utilization of phones may likewise cause weight in young people. As indicated by a review led by Harvard T.H Chan School of General Wellbeing, youngsters who spend more hours daily on phones are bound to become stout. The concentrate further says that youngsters who spend over five hours daily before screens are 43% bound to get less rest or exercise, bringing about weight

Vision issues
Expanded utilization of mobile phones is said to cause vision issues in young people. According to a review led by 30 clinical understudies, 83% of them were found to have wireless vision conditions. The side effects incorporate pressure, redness, consuming sensation, obscured vision, and dry eyes.

Over-the-top use of mobile phones outperforms their value and makes new issues for young people. While you may not prevent your teen from utilizing a mobile phone, it is feasible to restrict the use by laying out some guidelines.

Prior to giving wireless to your youngster, ensure they know about the focuses underneath.

Tips On Safe Use Of Cells For Youngsters

Cells are staying put, basically not at any point in the near future. Along these lines, you want to show your adolescents about cell phone security and how to dependably utilize it. They additionally need to have concurred limits for cell phone use. Here are far to stay away from the antagonistic impacts of cellphones on youngsters:

For those who want to lose weight

Research on the causes of obesity, knowledge about weight loss, and various diets for weight loss are updated every year. However, with the update of knowledge and the release of diet pills one after another, the obesity rate continues to rise every year, and there is no sign of wanting to decline. I used to be very, very fat, and I am also a person who is prone to obesity.

So I understand the voices of fat people, I really want to lose weight, but I tried many ways to lose weight at that time without success.

I have tried the common boiled meals on the market, eating less and moving more, but it was not until I tried other diets that I managed to lose weight. After I lost weight, I began to study the essence and method of losing weight, and wrote him in this weight loss strategy article, hoping to help you.

A few key myths about losing weight

The weight loss myth of eating less and moving more

The phrase “eat less and move more” is actually true, but most people do it wrong. Many people think that they should eat less of everything, so they limit their calories to a very low level, and it feels a bit like eating an ultra-low-calorie fairy meal. Then, for the hyperactive part, the first thing that everyone thinks of is aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, etc., but in fact, this is a very short-term and easy way to regain weight, mainly because eating too little is an easy way to lose weight. The reason for the loss of muscle mass, coupled with the fact that aerobic training is not helpful for muscle mass growth, causes the metabolism to drop too much.

Maybe you can lose 5 kilograms in this way, but if your metabolism declines, you will easily regain the weight. And it’s all the fat that gets back up, not the muscle you lose that makes you look fatter than before. This is what we call the yo-yo effect, lose weight, get fat back, get fatter than before, lose weight, get back on Fat, get fatter than before.

Stop taking diet pills and meal replacements

At this time, you may start to seek other ways, eat weight loss meal replacements, taking diet pills, and so on. But believe me, most diet pills will inevitably hurt the body, especially the gastrointestinal tract. You may actually lose weight in the moment, but when your gastrointestinal tract is damaged, you will be fatter than before.

The key to understanding how to lose weight

You must have thought, why some people will not gain weight no matter what they eat, while some people will gain a kilogram the next day after eating a little bread? What is the cause of obesity? This is not a simple answer that can be solved!

You can see the link to the picture below, mainly talking about the influencing factors of obesity, which are very, very complicated.

Image source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296290/obesity-map-full-hi-res.pdf

In the middle of this picture is the heat balance

So we can know that calorie balance is very important

But this article doesn’t keep preaching that calorie balance is the key to losing weight like other sites

If you don’t know what calorie balance is, you can probably imagine that our body has calorie consumption (exercise, thermogenesis, basal metabolism), and calorie intake (eating).

When calorie consumption exceeds calorie intake, the weight will drop, so the truth of weight loss is to eat less and move more, very simple. In the short term, it is really possible to simply achieve weight loss by eating less and moving more, but simplicity is not simple, because the operation of the body is very complicated. Many people think that they can control their calorie consumption, that they can achieve a lot of calorie expenditure by running all the time, and that eating fairy meals (low-calorie meals) can reduce calorie intake and then easily lose it.

However, according to research, 90% of people who use calorie control, eat less and move more to lose weight will fail or regain the weight.

Because eating less and moving more for too long, metabolism will easily drop, hormones will easily become imbalanced, and muscle mass will easily be lost. Even if you lose 10 kilograms, you will easily regain weight.

When losing weight, the body is like a factory

For me, the key to long-term weight loss and maintaining good posture is the environment in the body, such as hormones, the level of inflammation in the body, and the gastrointestinal system.

Think of the body as a factory

-Your hormones are the managers and workers of factory operations

-Inflamed condition is how good factory machinery and hardware are

-Calorie intake is wages for factories as well as fuel

If the manager of this factory is an idiot, or if the hardware in your factory is completely rotten, then no matter how it works, it will create a pile of waste. Just as our hormones are already out of balance and the level of inflammation in the body is very high, no matter how much you eat, if you don’t solve the existing problems, it will easily accumulate into fat. It may be easier to understand with a few examples.

Hormones vs Weight Loss

This study looked at the effects of sleep and weight loss

Research source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20921542

Both groups of humans were calorie-restricted, but one group slept 5.5 hours a night and the other 8.5 hours. Both groups lost weight, but the group that slept less lost 55 percent less body fat and 65 percent more muscle mass than the group that slept more. It is equivalent to losing weight, but most of the loss is muscle mass, which reduces metabolism and makes it easy to regain weight later.

There is such a big difference mainly because poor sleep has a negative impact. The imbalance of the secretion of these things will easily increase fat and reduce muscle.

This next study looks at the effect of insulin sensitivity on body composition!

Research source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19471290

Basically, many chronic metabolic diseases, obesity, and poor muscle-building effects are closely related to low insulin sensitivity. Insulin is an anti-catabolic hormone whose main function is to store nutrients in cells. For example, after heavy training, our muscles will be more sensitive to insulin, and the nutrients we eat will be more easily absorbed into the muscles. When insulin sensitivity is low, the nutrients we eat are more likely to be stored as fat rather than absorbed into muscles.

We can simply say that the nutrients in the food eaten by people who are insulin insensitive are more likely to be stored as fat, and the relative fat mass will be much higher than the muscle mass.

To put it simply, the key to losing weight is actually to improve hormones, improve inflammation in the body, and add an appropriate calorie deficit. It is not difficult to achieve a calorie deficit. What is more difficult is how to choose the type of food that suits your body to improve hormones and achieve a long-term good body.

If you only pursue short-term weight loss and rely on a lot of calorie deficits to achieve the effect of weight loss, and then the hormones are still the same after the loss, then I can guarantee that you will gain weight very easily.

With so many ways to eat on the internet, which diet should I try?

When talking about losing weight in Taiwan 30 years ago, everyone would definitely want to use boiled meals

When it came to losing weight five years ago, everyone might think of using a low-sugar diet. When it came to losing weight in the past two or three years, everyone might directly think of the ketogenic diet.

I lost 30kg in 3 months on a low-sugar diet myself for the first time, so I used to believe that a low-sugar diet was the best way to lose weight

But after my long-term understanding of weight loss-related research, genetic cognition, and observation of students, there is no diet that is most suitable for everyone! Although it is said that high-carbohydrate foods will most stimulate insulin secretion, which in turn promotes the storage of nutrients into fat, some people are naturally good at metabolizing carbohydrates, so they can still be healthy and strong after eating high-carbohydrate throughout their lives.

For example, this study compared the responses of people with high and low insulin sensitivity to high- and low-carb diets.

Research source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2005.79

The study concluded:

-For people with high insulin sensitivity, eating high-carb and low-fat to lose weight is very helpful

-However, people who are insulin insensitive use a high-carb low-fat diet to lose fat, but the weight loss effect is not so good.

But on the contrary, studies have also shown that people with low insulin sensitivity have a very good weight loss effect on a low-carb high-fat diet, which shows that improving insulin is very important for weight loss, and it also shows that people with insulin insensitivity are more suitable

Lose weight with a high-carb diet.

So if you have been obese for a long time, you know that you eat carbohydrates easily, or you know that you have diabetes in your family and want to lose fat, then I would suggest that you can start by reducing carbohydrates, which is what we call low carb diet!

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Mobile Banking is a service provided by a bank or other financial institution that allows its customers to conduct financial transactions remotely using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.

Electronic Transaction Levy or “E-Levy” is a tax applied on transactions made on electronic or digital platforms.

ADVANTAGES OF MOBILE BANKING

Mobile banking offers numerous benefits such as ease of transaction, convenience, time-saving, managing your finances, and budgeting. Some advantages of Mobile Banking in remote areas include:

Financial Inclusion — mobile banking offers convenient and easy banking services to people in remote areas. Thus, it allows banking on the go and offers all benefits of a banking system to rural areas without the presence of a financial institution.

Accessing the bank 24/7 — Mobile banking provides ubiquitous banking services without the need to visit the bank to have access to services. This offers time to benefit and ease of transacting at a distance.

Cost-benefit — Mobile banking saves the banks the cost of building physical infrastructures (branches) and maintaining branches and staff. Also, reduced costs on the customer side since the burden of visiting the bank for services is eliminated.

Improving resilience in the face of poverty — Mobile money acts as both a savings vehicle and a means of transferring funds during times of economic or environmental shocks.

Strengthening the formal economy — For many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), opening a mobile money account can facilitate access to formal financial services. Mobile money is well placed to address the issue of informality that blights many developing economies and hampers domestic resource mobilization efforts. Mobile Money enables ease of transacting, thus increasing business profits for MSMEs.

Facilitating economic growth — Mobile money has been shown to contribute to economic growth by increasing both productivity and per capita incomes

DISADVANTAGES OF E-LEVY ON MOBILE BANKING

The design of mobile money taxation policy appears to be the antithesis of a well-designed tax system. The disadvantages include:

Inequity — Mobile money taxes as currently structured to create inequity in the tax system. As the tax is mostly borne by the poor and users of the services are subject to additional taxation (unlike bank or cash transactions), the principles of both horizontal and vertical equity in the tax system are contravened.

Uncertainty -. Uncertainty and lack of transparency over taxation systems can have a direct impact on the operations of the tax authority, increasing enforcement costs, as well as discouraging investment.

Inconvenience — The administration of mobile money transaction taxes creates an inconvenience for MMPs who must calculate and collect the tax on the revenue authority’s behalf. There is an additional inconvenience for users of the service for whom remote digital transactions become more expensive or out of reach if they revert back to cash.

Inefficiency — Badly designed mobile money taxes have been shown to have a distortionary impact on demand for mobile money services. This in turn has had negative impacts on overall tax takes, as well as impacting the attainment of national economic and development goals.

EFFECT OF MOBILE BANKING — CASE STUDIES

The decision to impose taxes on mobile bank transactions will trigger so many problems.

Ghana — According to The Fourth Estate Ghana; Although the government projects a 24% decline in transactions when the levy is finally implemented, preliminary findings published by the bank of Ghana indicate the value of mobile money transactions had dropped by 3.2 billion in December 2021, less than 2 months after the proposal to introduce E-levy.

Uganda — An e-levy of 1% introduced in 2018 has led to an overall drop in the person-to-person transaction by more than 50%, and a 24% drop in industry transactions within the same year the tax was introduced according to a report by Global system for mobile communication (GSMA).

Congo — An e-levy of 1% was introduced in 2019. The government had to reverse the tax on cash outs only due to negative results of the levy on Mobile money users such as a decline in mobile money agents (unemployment) and high-value withdrawals by people.

Other countries include Benin (5%) and Cameroun (0.2%). In all these countries, the e-levy has imposed a negative effect on the economy and people. If we want to ensure the financial inclusion of people in rural areas, we need to ensure that we encourage mobile banking by withdrawing the e-levy tax.

Reference:

https://thefourthestategh.com/2022/03/16/e-levy-this-is-what-happened-when-other-african-countries-passed-it/

Purohit, S., & Arora, R. (2021). The benefits and challenges of mobile banking at the Bottom of the pyramid. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government Vol, 27(1).

Charles G. Kpan, Jr. is an Information Technologist with over 5 years of experience in the provision of Information Technology Services and an emphasis on Web Development and Visual Branding. He’s the managing Director of CYGEC IT SOLUTIONS INC. and holds a bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology from Blue Crest University, Liberia.