A Girl’s Disadvantage In Getting An Education

We all think that at this day and age everyone is able to enjoy equal right on almost everything we now enjoy. Yet gender equality still comes to mind although most of you probably think this should not be much of an issue anymore as we can see how women, in general, have managed to rise above the stereotype and show the rest of the world just what they are made of. Getting an education is perhaps the best tool women have that made them globally-competitive in the workplace and many countries support girls and women’s education today yet there are still some places where they consider it such a waste of time and money to educate young girls because they’ll just get married later in life after all.

This notion is what prevents these young girls from ever growing and reaching their full potential. This reality is especially true in third-world and impoverished nations where thousands, if not millions of girls, fail to get an education each year and miss out on a lot in life. While poverty is the root cause of the problem, there are other factors that contribute to this intellectual deprivation that all the girls out there deserve as much as boys do.

Around 130 million girls don’t go to school every day. ONE, a global organization that fights extreme poverty, is trying to fix that by finding out where the problem is the worst.

Their new report ranks the 10 worst nations in the world for girls to get an education. Nine of those are in Africa. The other? Afghanistan — a place where the United States has poured massive funds for education since overthrowing the Taliban there in 2001. Yet it’s still the fourth-worst place in the world for girls’ education, according to ONE’s index, which measured rate of attendance, amount of spending on education, and the number of teachers trained, among other factors.

(Via: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/17/afghanistan-ranks-worst-places-girls-to-get-an-education-africa/)

And in a country like Afghanistan that is plagued by war, political instability, and more poverty, girls do not even get a chance to learn the basic because only a very small number of young girls get a chance to attend primary school compared to the opposite sex even if it showed that girls were more consistent with their attendance rather than the boys. The truth is this country actually received lots of financial support from America after the Taliban issue has been resolved and recovery efforts were underway, which left many wondering how these funds are being managed.

“Girls’ education is very low on the list of priorities in India, and rural Rajasthan fares near the bottom,’’ said Daube, who heads an organization known as CITTA, which builds and supports development of schools and hospitals in India.

On an early spring day, Daube, dressed in flowing white, described his vision for a cooperative where 400 girls will study and work alongside their mothers and grandmothers, next to a community center that showcases the intricate hand-sewn rugs, scarves, and saris for which the region is known. Local musicians played while the royal family of Jaisalmer looked out at the barren former Indian heritage site, next to government land Daube hopes to acquire. “A small project can have a global impact,’’ Daube said.

(Via: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/10/the-groups-fighting-for-girls-education-in-india/542811/)

This is not only a reality in countries like India and Afghanistan but in many other nations the world over. If you look at it, it is a really big problem but gradually concerned citizens and organizations are making a difference and making sure things change for the better in affected areas so that girls get the education they deserve like everyone else. All of us have a right to self-actualization but only this can be done if we are able to change the mindset of society and give everyone equal rights to learn and improve their lives on their own.

Young girls deserve better in life and shouldn’t be forced to accept whatever life throws at them because they do not know any better. By becoming literate and educated, they have a chance to uplift their lives and follow their passion in life without always being dependent on other people on most things. Education can beat poverty. That we know for sure. It might be a long shot from now but it is definitely worth taking for a brighter future for everyone, not just the world's alpha.

The post A Girl’s Disadvantage In Getting An Education was initially published on SoulVisual.com Blog

source https://www.soulvisual.com/blog/a-girls-disadvantage-in-getting-an-education/

The Rise Of Cannabis Leads To The Fall Of Alcohol

We aspire to be at our best and healthiest but there are certain indulgences we can’t seem to resist. They may come in different forms and sizes and their effects on us varies too but we usually call them the same name: vices. Of course, the word vice in itself already has a negative connotation, an undying stigma it has to deal with to infinity and beyond, perhaps, because most of these bad habits have indeed messed up people’s lives and are the bane of society. You might ask why, the answer is obvious. People do a lot of crazy stuff when they are under the influence of these vices, most common of which are alcohol and illegal drug use.

While also considered a taboo and a prohibited substance for the longest time, things have definitely looked better for the unassuming weed that we know as marijuana. Since the hippie days, cannabis advocates have never ceased to show to the world the beauty of marijuana but it fell on deaf ears for the longest time. You can’t blame the public, though, as there was also a negative side to it brought by the natural high weed is known to elicit back then. Well, it has not changed now but at least we have options. You aren’t just stuck with the recreational-type that is highly addicting and gives you all the feels but there is also medical cannabis that is devoid of the negative aspects weed used to be known for but have lots of beneficial health effects that people can’t get enough of.

Sales of alcoholic beverages decline following the enactment of medical marijuana access laws, according to a working paper authored by a team of researchers from the University of Connecticut and Georgia State University.

Authors evaluated the relationship between medical marijuana laws and retail alcohol sales for more than 2,000 US counties for the years 2006 to 2015. Alcohol sales trends in medical cannabis states were compared to sales trends in states where cannabis remained illegal. Researchers determined that counties located in medical cannabis states, on average, experienced a reduction in monthly alcohol sales of 15 percent.

Researchers concluded: “We find that marijuana and alcohol are strong substitutes. … States legalizing medical marijuana use experience significant decreases in the aggregate sale of alcohol, beer and wine. Moreover, the effects are not short-lived, with significant reductions observed up to 24 months after the passage of the law.”

(Via: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/01/study-alcohol-sales-fall-following-cannabis-legalization/)

As a result of the growth of the medical marijuana industry, many states have pushed forth for its legalization if they haven’t done it yet by now. Along came with that is a rise in public awareness about the pros and cons of marijuana especially the benefits you can get from CBD-rich cannabis that are used in the management of various chronic health conditions. Even that of recreational cannabis use has increased as well in response to easier access to it, less strict laws, and a more permissive society. If there’s one more thing that people have noticed that was a result of the growth in the cannabis market is the decline in alcohol demand.

The researchers compared alcohol sales between states that implemented medical marijuana laws and those that didn’t, before and after the change in marijuana laws. They also corrected for a number of economic and demographic variables known to affect alcohol use, such as age, race and income.

“We find that marijuana and alcohol are strong substitutes” for each other, the study concludes. “Counties located in [medical marijuana] states reduced monthly alcohol sales by 15 percent” after the introduction of medical marijuana laws.

(Via: http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/12/01/recreational-marijuana-alcohol-sales-safety/93761/)

It might be good news for many or not depending on which of the two you prefer. It’s just that this study observed the relative correlation between alcohol consumption and marijuana use. Now that people can easily access cannabis, it has been discovered that those alcoholic beverages drinkers reduced their alcohol intake as per alcohol sales in the study’s demographic while marijuana use is becoming more popular than ever. When you think about it, alcohol is addicting while marijuana is not and the former tends to bring out the worst in you and more fatal too. If this premise deducted from the results of the study applies to the entire country, this news may be for our best interest after all.

The blog article The Rise Of Cannabis Leads To The Fall Of Alcohol is courtesy of SoulVisual

source https://www.soulvisual.com/blog/the-rise-of-cannabis-leads-to-the-fall-of-alcohol/

Data Protection In The Face Of A Storm

Living in a modern world like ours has a lot of perks, indeed. Life at home is a breeze with numerous appliances and devices that do things for us making sure our hands remain clean and dry all along and get things done almost all the time. We travel so much faster and more conveniently too now that there are all sorts of private and public transportation vehicles to take us from point A to point B with ease. However, life today also has its downsides. Modern living isn’t always as glamorous as we want to believe it to be especially once our shiny gadgets break down and leave us hanging.

Like any object that goes through normal wear and tear, modern contrivances can easily go haywire if not taken cared of properly or exposed to the harsh elements like hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters. And because most things have gone digital now, it is imperative to ensure your data stays safe all the time or risk losing it forever. Almost all of us use tech gadgets now but are you really well-versed on what to do in the face of calamities that not only threatens your devices but your life as well. Times like this you’d often think about your safety and well-being first rather than secure whatever you leave behind especially in the case of a severe flooding. If you live somewhere frequented by typhoons and is at high-risk for flooding or that sort, arm yourself with the knowledge you need to protect your data by preparing for these disasters way ahead of time.

When disasters strike, people turn first to government for assistance.  And government agencies turn to their IT departments – even when a hurricane barrels through.

With the departmental staff relying on the IT department, managers should  be honest and transparent with end users, letting them know how to prepare prior to a storm, how to protect devices, the likelihood of downtime and how to work from backups.

Specifically, offices should install surge protectors between the power source and the computers' power cable to handle any power spikes or surges caused by lightning strikes. They should also invest in some form of uninterruptible power supply, which uses batteries to keep computers running during power outages.  UPS systems also help manage an orderly shutdown of the computer  -- unexpected shutdowns from power surge problems can cause data loss.

(Via: https://gcn.com/articles/2017/10/04/minimize-storm-damage.aspx)

Take precautions in your daily life and set long-term safety checks for your data before you might regret not doing so. If your home indeed gets submerged in floodwater, there is nothing you can do about it but it is still possible for you to salvage as much data as you can by keeping in mind some of the tips mentioned in the article like plugging in, drying, and using computers or hard drives that have been obviously damaged by water. Contact a computer repair expert as soon as you can for the best possible solutions to your dilemma before doing anything on your own that may backfire on you in an instant.

Devise a disaster recovery plan.

Frequently, disaster recovery is relegated to the bottom of a small business’ priority list – especially among businesses that aren’t in traditionally high-risk weather areas. But the reality is that no organization is immune to a disaster, regardless of its location. For all businesses, the path to preparedness begins with a plan – one that’s formalized across the company with the comprehensive steps required to quickly restore business functionality in the wake of a disaster.

Communicate your plan to all employees.

A disaster recovery plan can only be effective if everyone is on the same page about what it involves. Once small business leaders establish a plan, they must make sure their employees know what’s in it and what responsibilities each staff member has. That means posting or distributing a print version of the plan as well as discussing it at companywide meetings.

Create and store data backups.

By ensuring all your business’ proprietary data is securely backed up – either virtually or on a physical backup drive stored at a safe location – you can prevent a natural disaster turning into a data loss incident.

(Via: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297093)

Protecting data is especially important for small and medium-sized businesses who have a lot to lose when their data disappears especially that they do not usually have the means to finance data recovery services after as their business continues to suffer long after the disaster has come and gone. Hence, their business will soon lead to bankruptcy and it is a reality for 60% of entrepreneurs of these industries according to statistics. Big brands may suffer as well but they often can bounce back from these unfortunate incidents since they have money to fund their recovery efforts.

Entrepreneurs should take data protection seriously because their business is nothing without the data that makes it work. Disaster preparedness is the key and you no longer have to worry about data recovery with the countless tools you can use to save your business (and source of income) safe from the elements all year round.

Data Protection In The Face Of A Storm is available on The SoulVisual Blog

source https://www.soulvisual.com/blog/data-protection-in-the-face-of-a-storm/