What Google Products Do You Use?
Most of us use Google for searching on the internet. In fact Google has become part of the vocabulary of many of us. How many of the other products that Google offers do you use – or are you aware of? Some of the products you may have heard of, but do not really understand what you can do with them. You may find that some of the products can really help promote your business. So what products are there in Google?Search Engine Optimisation Products We all use Google Search, but do you know how this works? Which of the following products do you use to ensure that your website is featured in Google Search results: Google Keywords (a tool to find appropriate keywords to use in your sites), Google AdWords (display ads relating to keywords, cost is dependent upon keywords chosen), Google Ad Manager (allows you to link the ads displayed to the amount of stock that you have available), Google AdSense (allows you to display ads on your website to generate income), Google Analytics (displays statistics about the visitors to your website), Google Website Optimizer (use with Google Analytics to test different versions of your website and which brought in the most visitors) and Google Alerts (Find out when people are searching for your keywords – or for information about you).Products to Improve Your Internet FootprintIf you create a bigger internet footprint, your brand, influence and reputation will reach more people. Your website, your social media input and blogs all go to increase the size of your footprint. Not surprisingly Google also has a number of products to help including: Google Profile, Google Local and Google Maps.Communication Products The latest development from Google is Google Wave. Wave is described as a real time communication platform. You can bring a group of colleagues together to have a real time discussion, share files using drag and drop or use other wave applications. Parts of a Wave can be played back or embedded on your website. Google Wave will probably superseded business use of Google Groups which is an online public forum facility. Blogger is a tool that allows you to write your blog or online diary. In the US, Google Voice includes voicemail, custom greetings, one single number that rings all phones, conference callsOffice Products Google has a number of products to make it easier for us to do our day to day work. Google Mail is a popular, free webmail which store emails by conversation. Google mail is reported to have good spam filtering facilities and is particularly good for mobile access. Google Calendar is an online diary or time management system that allows you to share your diary with others. Google Documents is a free web based word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications that allow online creation of documents and collaboration in real time. Picasa is a great free photo editing and photo sharing tool created by Google.Products to help on the Internet (other than searching)Google’s own browser product, Google Chrome is advertised as a secure, fast and stable alternative to Internet Explorer and Firefox. It is considered to be the third most popular browser (4.4% of usage share). igoogle ( a homepage where you can display your Google products in one place) can be used on any browser as can Google Reader (see all the news information feeds that you have subscribed to in one place).Other ProductsOther products that are worth exploring include Google Checkout (an online payment processing service similar to PayPal, but not available on eBay) and Google Site Search which allows you to add a Site Search to your website (for a fee). Google Base (an online database, can be used to find products for sale). There are also a number of Google Applications which are being developed all the time by third parties. No doubt, Google will produce new and better products during 2010…. Watch this space!
Lodging and Hotels in Hawaii
You have a lot of lodging and hotels in Hawaii to choose from. Your first option is the Hale Lani Bed & Breakfast. It is located in Kapaa on Kauai. This B&B has been honored as “one of Hawaii’s 50 Best B&B’s” by Frommer’s Travel Magazine. The features that this B&B offers to its guests include private entrance, private patios, Queen sized beds, private baths, a full kitchen, tropical toiletries, an island breakfast, tropical flowers, a home entertainment center, wireless internet access and access to sports equipment. The Hale Lani offers guest a variety of packages including: Whale Watch and fishing Expedition, Romantic Holiday, Friend and Family Gathering and Leave Your Cares Behind Getaway.If you are looking for lodging and hotels in Hawaii that offer a secluded tropical atmosphere then you may want to consider Kaui Country Inn. This B&B is located in Kapaa, Hawaii. Some of the special services offered at the Kauai Country Inn include Water sports equipment, kayak rentals, DVD movie rentals and motorcycle rentals. The innkeepers are also available to help you plan the perfect Hawaiian vacation.If you are looking for affordable lodging and hotels in Hawaii then you may want to consider the Poipu Plantation Bed & Breakfast. Here you can find rooms for under $100 per night. The innkeepers of this special tropical B&B can help you to plan activities, make local travel arrangements and they can also recommend great local sites to see. Some of the amenities offered at this B&B include: hot tub, barbeque, breakfast, housekeeping services, laundry room and a free telephone.If you are looking for lodging and hotels in Hawaii on the Garden Island of Kauai, then you may want to consider Green Acres Cottages. This B&B is located on the north side of Kauai between Kilauea and Anahola. Each cottage is freestanding which offers guests privacy. This B&B is situated within minutes of amazing vacation activities like rock climbing, snorkeling, live theater, hiking trails, swimming, diving and fine dining.
How Do Payday Loan Companies Verify Your Identity?
Payday loan companies are designed to offer short term loans to consumers. The loans are meant to help a consumer out in an emergency. The bulk of payday loan customers are unable to obtain a loan from a traditional funding source. Payday loan companies will require a great deal of information from a potential borrower to verify their identity. This verification process is designed to protect both the payday company and the borrower.Picture Identification:An US borrower will need to produce a valid picture identification card. The two most common forms accepted by a payday loan company are a driver’s license or a state issued identification card.Paycheck Stub:Anyone applying for a payday loan will have to bring a paycheck stub with them. Most payday companies will require a minimum of two current paycheck stubs. They will use the paycheck stubs as a means to verify the borrower’s identification card matches the name on their paycheck. The stub is also used to verify sufficient income.Employment Verification:Another way, payday loan companies verify a borrower’s identity is through employment verification. The potential borrower is required to fill out an application, stating their place of employment and the phone number of their employer. The payday loan company will double check to verify the employment phone number in their database matches the one provided by the potential borrower. This is done to guarantee the borrower is who they say they are, and that they truly work at that location.Verification Of Bank Account:The final step in verifying a borrower’s identity is through a bank account. A borrower who lives in the USA will need to provide a minimum of two current bank statements.These bank statements will indicate to the payday company, whether or not, the potential borrower bounces checks and has an account in good standing. The payday company will use the phone number they have on file to call the bank, and verify the account is active.The preceding for identity verification steps are designed to protect the loan company and the borrower from scam artists. Some potential payday loan customers feel the verification process is intrusive, but it is for their benefit.When you apply online you will be asked to fill in the online application form. There you must mention the number of your identity card, driver license if you have one, SSN, job title, bank details etc. It is not required to upload any documents with your photo. But submitted information will be checked and you will have a notification if your loan application is processed.Submitting an application simply states that you wish for one of payday agents to approve and contact you to discuss your payday loan options. You may ask us any questions, and withdraw your request if you so choose. If you are ready to proceed, you may confirm your information and officially agree to terms with one of our representatives.Your application will be processed within 30 minutes upon being received. Once approved, you may collect your loan the next business day. At that time, payday lenders will help schedule a repayment date so you will not have to worry about bouncing a check or missing a deadline.The rule is that lenders respect their customer’s right to privacy in managing their personal finances. Commonly websites offering a pay day loans use a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information. All sensitive data transmitted between your internet browser and website of the lender uses 128 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology. So you may relax and don’t worry about stealing your personal information.
Gardener’s Paradise: Features To Consider When Buying a Home With a Garden
Gardening Essential 1: How can you budget for a dream garden?It might seem counterintuitive, but when looking for a new home that will hold your dream garden, prioritize the land first. Even if the home you buy is not the paradise you were hoping for initially, your home can be transformed over time with the right tools, effort, and funding; but if you buy a property that doesn’t have adequate land or yard space, you can’t build your dream garden. Unfortunately, land can be expensive (depending on where you are buying a property). Financing options like loans and other housing programs might be able to help you afford the home and land that you’ve been dreaming of.Gardening Essential 2: Is There Good Soil For Planting a Garden?While you are shopping for a new home, you must consider the soil on the property when you want to have a garden. If you are a knowledgeable gardener, start by looking at and touching the soil. Try to determine if it is rich enough for planting seeds or seedlings. When you are a novice gardener, take a small sample of soil to a gardening store for analysis. Make sure your soil is well tilled and prepared to receive seeds before planting.Gardening Essential 3: Does the Property Have a Fence?By having a fence around your property, you can protect your garden from wildlife that will damage the plants. Mesh wire fences are the most desirable type of fencing to keep out many smaller animals so that you won’t lose any valuable fruits and vegetables. A sturdy fence can also keep vandals from destroying your garden.Gardening Essential 4: Is There an Irrigation System?If you can find a home that has an outdoor irrigation system, then you will enjoy having fast access to water for your garden. You won’t need to stand outside for hours with a garden hose or carry huge buckets of water to the garden. Irrigation systems are expensive devices, and the installation process is invasive or time-consuming, so you should look for a home that has an irrigation system.Gardening Essential 5: Does the Property Have a Garden Shed?When you have a garden, you will need a place to store your gardening tools. Finding a home that already has a garden shed will make your life much easier because you will already have a place to store large pieces of equipment along with small tools. If the property doesn’t have a garden shed, then make sure that there is a place where you can build one.Gardening Essential 6: Does the Current Homeowner Have a Compost Pile?If the current homeowner has a compost pile, then you have easy access to fertilizer for your garden. Many gardeners create compost piles in their backyards or gardening areas so that they don’t need to spend a lot of money on bags of fertilizer. It can take several months for kitchen scraps and other degradable items to decompose to create a compost pile, so if you have one already, then you can continue to add garbage to the compost pile.Are There Additional Gardening Items Available?If the home you are looking at has additional gardening items such as trellises or planters, then you are going to have a great place to begin planting without needing to install these things on your own.
What are anti-ligature blinds?
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.
Complete weight loss strategy
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!
The Negative Impact of E-Levy on Mobile Banking.
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.