#Strategies for achieving Goal 15: Life on Land

[greenthestral]

Preserving Life on Land: Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 15

Goal 15 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is focused on ensuring life on land, recognizing the importance of preserving and restoring ecosystems, promoting sustainable land management, and halting biodiversity loss. With the global population steadily increasing and human activities placing unprecedented pressures on terrestrial ecosystems, achieving Goal 15 is crucial for the well-being of both present and future generations. This article delves into the significance of Goal 15 and highlights key strategies and actions needed to protect and restore life on land.

The Importance of Goal 15 for a Sustainable Future

Goal 15, "Life on Land," holds immense significance as a fundamental pillar for sustainable development. Terrestrial ecosystems encompass a wide array of habitats, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, and deserts, each playing a vital role in supporting life on Earth. These ecosystems provide essential services that are critical for human well-being and the overall health of our planet.

One of the primary services provided by terrestrial ecosystems is the regulation of essential resources such as clean air, water, and soil fertility. Forests, for instance, act as "green lungs" by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, contributing to the purification of the air we breathe. They also act as natural filters, regulating water quality by capturing and filtering rainfall, replenishing groundwater reserves, and preventing soil erosion. Furthermore, healthy soils support agricultural productivity, ensuring food security for communities around the world.

Beyond the provision of essential resources, terrestrial ecosystems also support biodiversity and cultural diversity. They serve as habitats for countless species, many of which are yet to be discovered or understood fully. Biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the resilience and adaptability of ecosystems, as each species plays a unique role in the intricate web of life. Moreover, diverse ecosystems offer valuable opportunities for recreation, tourism, and cultural practices, enriching our lives and connecting us to our natural heritage.

Unfortunately, unsustainable land use practices pose significant threats to terrestrial ecosystems. Deforestation, driven primarily by agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development, leads to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. As forests are cleared, countless species lose their homes, pushing them closer to extinction. Moreover, the destruction of forests and other ecosystems disrupts the delicate balance of ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling, pollination, and seed dispersal, which are essential for the survival of ecosystems and the species they support.

Climate change further exacerbates the challenges faced by terrestrial ecosystems. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events pose significant risks to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Many species are struggling to adapt to these rapid changes, leading to population declines and local extinctions. The impacts of climate change also contribute to land degradation and desertification, further compromising the productivity and resilience of terrestrial ecosystems.

By achieving Goal 15, we can address these pressing issues and protect the invaluable services provided by terrestrial ecosystems. Safeguarding biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the functionality and resilience of ecosystems. Preserving intact forests, restoring degraded habitats, and establishing protected areas are essential steps towards achieving this goal. These actions not only offer refuge to endangered species but also contribute to the preservation of genetic diversity and the restoration of ecological balance.

Moreover, achieving Goal 15 contributes to poverty eradication and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. Many communities around the world depend on healthy terrestrial ecosystems for their livelihoods, relying on agriculture, forestry, and other natural resources for income and sustenance. Sustainable land management practices, such as agroforestry, organic farming, and regenerative agriculture, can enhance productivity while minimizing the environmental footprint. By prioritizing sustainable agriculture and providing support to local communities, Goal 15 can foster economic resilience and ensure the well-being of both people and the planet.

Furthermore, achieving Goal 15 is crucial for the resilience of communities and economies that rely on healthy terrestrial ecosystems. Ecosystem services, such as water regulation, flood control, and climate regulation, are essential for reducing the vulnerability of communities to natural disasters and climate change impacts. By maintaining intact ecosystems, we enhance the capacity of landscapes to withstand and recover from environmental shocks, ensuring the long-term well-being and stability of communities.

Goal 15: Life on Land is a vital component of the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing the urgent need to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems. By safeguarding biodiversity, preserving essential ecological functions, and mitigating the impacts of unsustainable land use practices and climate change, we can maintain the delicate interconnectedness between all forms of life on Earth. Achieving Goal 15 not only contributes to the preservation of our planet's natural heritage but also promotes poverty eradication, sustainable agriculture, and the resilience of communities and economies. It is an imperative task that requires collective efforts and the integration of sustainable practices into our daily lives and policy decisions. Only through our commitment to Goal 15 can we secure a sustainable future where life on land thrives for generations to come.

Preserving Biodiversity and Halting Deforestation

Biodiversity is the foundation of life on land, and protecting it is crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems. One key aspect of Goal 15 is halting deforestation and restoring degraded forests. Deforestation not only contributes to greenhouse gas emissions but also disrupts ecosystems, displaces indigenous communities, and threatens the habitat of countless species. Governments, organizations, and individuals must collaborate to implement sustainable land-use practices, promote reforestation initiatives, and strengthen protected areas to conserve and restore forests.

Additionally, preserving biodiversity extends beyond forests. It involves protecting endangered species, conserving habitats such as wetlands and grasslands, and curbing the illegal wildlife trade. Ensuring the effective management of protected areas and promoting sustainable use of natural resources are vital components in achieving this goal.

Promoting Sustainable Land Management and Combating Desertification

Sustainable land management is essential for ensuring the productivity and resilience of terrestrial ecosystems. Degraded lands, soil erosion, and desertification pose significant challenges to achieving Goal 15. Land degradation not only affects agricultural productivity but also exacerbates climate change impacts, water scarcity, and food insecurity.

To combat these issues, sustainable land management practices such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and integrated watershed management must be adopted. These practices help restore soil fertility, reduce erosion, and enhance water retention capacity. Furthermore, promoting sustainable land management techniques can create employment opportunities, improve food security, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Addressing Climate Change and its Impact on Terrestrial Ecosystems

Climate change poses a severe threat to life on land. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events can disrupt ecosystems, exacerbate desertification, and increase the vulnerability of species and communities. To achieve Goal 15, it is crucial to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy adoption, transitioning to sustainable agricultural practices, and promoting afforestation and reforestation efforts are vital steps in combating climate change. Additionally, enhancing the resilience of ecosystems and communities through nature-based solutions, such as the restoration of mangroves and wetlands, can provide multiple benefits, including coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and the preservation of biodiversity.

Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns

Consumer choices and production practices significantly impact terrestrial ecosystems. Unsustainable consumption, overexploitation of natural resources, and pollution contribute to land degradation and biodiversity loss. Achieving Goal 15 requires transitioning towards sustainable consumption and production patterns.

This can be accomplished through various means, such as promoting circular economy principles, reducing waste generation, adopting sustainable agricultural practices, and embracing eco-friendly technologies. Additionally, raising awareness among individuals and businesses about the environmental impacts of their choices and encouraging sustainable alternatives can drive positive change.

Conclusion

Goal 15: Life on Land is a critical component of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to preserve and restore terrestrial ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and combat land degradation. By halting deforestation, promoting sustainable land management, addressing climate change impacts, and embracing sustainable consumption and production patterns, we can ensure the long-term viability of life on land. Achieving Goal 15 not only benefits the environment but also enhances human well-being, promotes socio-economic development, and contributes to the overall sustainability of our planet. It is our collective responsibility to work towards a future where life on land thrives, and every individual can play a part in realizing this goal.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Out of control COVID means permanent segregation for many disabled people - Published Aug 15, 2024

It’s August, and we are once again in the throes of a major COVID wave.

Using wastewater data- the only data that measures the amount of circulating COVID-19 in an era of inaccessible tests and discouraged reporting- infectious disease modeler J.P. Weiland estimates that the US has yet again crossed the million-infections-per-day mark as of August 9, with about 1 in 33 Americans currently infected with COVID-19.

The CDC, indeed, reports that over half of states have now crossed their “very high” threshold, and the raw wastewater data shows a dramatic upward swing.

1 in 33 means COVID in every restaurant, every supermarket, onboard every airplane, and of course in every hospital- where infection control teams continue to harm and kill vulnerable patients by failing to implement airborne infection control measures.

I’ve written before about how, in November 2021, nearly a year after the debut of the vaccines, Fauci publicly declared that US COVID cases would need to fall “well below 10,000 a day” for us to get a “degree of normality,” and allow us to return to pre-pandemic life. In the nearly three years since, the US has never had a single day with under 10,000 new COVID cases per day; in fact, we have never had a single day with under 100,000 new COVID cases per day.

Instead, in August 2024, we have over one million new COVID cases per day.

Is over a million new COVID cases per day “well below” 10,000 new COVID cases per day? Or did this administration pivot and sell a public health failure as a public health victory?

When we talk about the failures of the vaccine-only approach to COVID, it’s important to understand what the goals of that approach were. Why did Fauci believe we would have under 10,000 cases a day, and why was that important?

Fauci and other officials around the world hoped and believed that we would achieve herd immunity to COVID, if not through vaccination alone, then through a combination of vaccination and infections. Herd immunity would protect the vulnerable- including people who cannot themselves be vaccinated or who do not mount an immune response to vaccines- from COVID exposure.

It’s also important to keep disease transmission low because, frankly, diseases are not neutral events, even for nominally healthy and abled people. It’s not healthy to be reinfected with SARS-COV-2, or any virus, once or twice each year. Disease is economically costly due to worker absences and productivity slowdowns. “Healthy” and “abled” are also permeable categories; when you infect people with diseases more often, you increase the number of “unhealthy” and “disabled” people. By keeping transmission of SARS-COV-2 “well below” 10,000 cases a day, the community at large is returned to a state of pre-pandemic well-being.

This promised land of low transmission, clearly, never happened. To understand why, you can read my piece about viral evolution and vaccine evasiveness, which explores in depth how SARS-COV-2 evolved faster than expected and escapes immunity from both vaccines and infection within months (if not weeks). This immune evasiveness successfully got the virus to the other side of the failed vaccine-only strategy, and that’s where it’s really been able to stretch its legs. Because on the other side of the vaccine-only strategy, there is no plan B. There are no masks, no mitigations; there’s no plan, and no plan to make a plan.

Instead, the approach is one of denial, misinformation, hiding data, stripping resources, privatizing vaccines and medications, and turning those who (believe they) can play “back to normal” against those who simply cannot. “Herd immunity” has been redefined to mean … well, what exactly does it mean, in the context of the entire population being reinfected over, and over, and over again? To pundits it’s a shorthand for “most people have already had COVID before.” To politicians it’s an applause line equivalent to “COVID is over.” To the public, it just means, “I don’t have to care anymore.”

For immunocompromised people, disabled people, and other people avoiding COVID, it’s meaningless. Herd immunity to measles means vulnerable people are never exposed to measles. Herd immunity to SARS-COV-2 means vulnerable people are exposed every time they leave home.

Read the rest of Julia's article at either link!

[shanashaanjum]

PARTNERING FOR IMPACT: HOW CSR INITIATIVES WITH MARPU FOUNDATION CAN DRIVE CHANGE

MARPU FOUNDATION AND ITS EFFORTS AT CSR & SDGs.

What is CSR? To begin with, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) has truly come of age. Enactment of Companies Act, 2013 by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India was one of the world's largest experiments of introducing the CSR as a mandatory provision by imposing statutory obligation on companies to take up CSR projects towards social welfare activities. This has made India the only country which has regulated and mandated CSR for some select categories of companies registered under the Act. This CSR initiative will push the nation towards achievement of sustainable development goals and public-private partnership in transforming India. The Harvard Business School defines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the idea that a business has a responsibility towards the society that exists around it and in order to fulfill that responsibility develops self regulating policies and strategies. The world has undergone mammoth changes. In a fast paced evolving world, in a matter of no time, efforts at CSR and SDGs have become a necessity. The generation that we have landed upon / landing upon, the need of the hour is a better quality of life in all aspects (socio- economic and environmental) and this can only be ensured / achieved with more companies / business models / organizations putting efforts at CSR; a way forward towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

One of the SDGs is a strategic partnership to attain the goal and this is exactly the key to maximize the impact of CSR. As business models and companies hunt for a strategic partnership to achieve the twin goal of CSR and SDGs and to stay relevant in the market, MARPU FOUNDATION (NGO) comes into the picture and partnering with it can produce the desired results because of its past record.

MARPU FOUNDATION: Marpu in Telugu quite literally means “the change” and keeping in mind their past achievements they are actually the change we need in this 21st century. This NGO was established by the respected National Youth Awardee, Mr. Kadiri Raghu Vamsi. Marpu Foundation harnesses individual potential to bring about positive change in the world. Their focus lies in promoting volunteerism, ecological mindfulness, and sustainable development. With a team committed to effecting change and providing a supportive space for all, they have earned the title of "The Best NGO in India" in 2020. The foundation empowers individuals to voice their aspirations, work towards sustainability, and form alliances with organizations with a shared vision. Their projects result in tangible changes, not through traditional charity, but via empathy-led, innovative solutions.

Their vision is to be a beacon of transformation, crafting a future that’s equitable, compassionate, and sustainable through collective efforts and partnerships. The foundation currently operates in 39 locations (15 states) having more than 80,261 volunteers and 10,245,120 beneficiaries. Their work theme revolves around environmental sustainability, economic development, social development, and partnership for the goals; encompassing all the SDGs.

Research has shown that through CSR:

• a workforce of satisfied employees is created who feel proud of their organization they work for

• a strong record of CSR improves customers’ attitude towards that company

• provides the opportunity to share positive stories online and through traditional media. Companies no longer have to waste money on expensive advertising campaigns. Instead they generate free publicity and benefit from word of mouth marketing

• companies reduce costs by more efficient staff hiring process and retention, implement energy saving programs , managing potential risks and liabilities more effectively

• it is not something for the short term. It is all about achieving long term results and business continuity

An area where Marpu Foundation has excelled in is : Corporate volunteering. It offers customized volunteering opportunities for business models looking to engage their employees in impactful CSR activities. Whether organizing community clean-up drives, conducting skill-building workshops for underprivileged youth, or planting trees to combat climate change, the Marpu Foundation ensures and caters to corporate volunteering initiatives that align with the specific interests and objectives of partner companies.

To sum up, maximizing the impact of corporate social responsibility requires strategic partnerships in accordance with the SDGs. In this regard, Marpu Foundation emerges as the ideal partner for businesses seeking to align their CSR efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals. In this materialistic, capitalistic world and rat race, as the global community continues to tackle complex challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change, the role of CSR in driving sustainable development becomes more important than ever. With all that Marpu Foundation caters to, it truly is a relevant ally, businesses can maximize their CSR impact and build a better world for all.

[simplyserenesristi]

“Enhancing CSR Impact through Collaboration with Marpu Foundation”

Introduction

Are you finding a compassionate NGO partner for CSR? Then you are at the right place. This blog will provide valuable information regarding India's top NGO, the Marpu Foundation.

Modern businesses have become concerned about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Nowadays, companies are concerned about profits besides being responsible towards society and the environment. CSR enhances better employee engagement and social interaction. At the same time, it leads to better financial performance, talent acquisition, organizational growth and so on.

The core responsibility of CSR interrelates Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Both concepts lead business organizations to contribute to sustainable development. They aim to mitigate environmental issues and other global challenges.

If your organizations find such a compassionate and active NGO partnership, collaboration with the Marpu Foundation will be outstanding. Marpu works on social development and environmental sustainability. 

Alignment of CSR and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

CSR initiatives align with SDGs by sharing their objectives. CSR strategies focus on social, environmental, philanthropic and ethical responsibility. These responsibilities directly contribute to SDGs such as Climate Action (SDG 13), Life on Land (SDG 15), Quality Education (SDG 4), and Zero Hunger (SDG 2). Both SDGs and CSR give importance to engaging with stakeholders. By engaging with active communities, employees and non-governmental organizations, they can achieve goals. So, businesses can track their social contribution following the measurable alignments of SDGs and CSR. 

Why does the Strategic Partnership of CSR and SDGs matter?  

The strategic partnership of SDGs and CSR matters as it helps to fulfil many business goals. Moreover, the partnership brings resource pools and networks. Such collaboration brings innovation, expertise and creative solutions. The partnership of CSR and SDGs ensures long-term sustainability. Organizations collaborate with non-profit organizations and communities to achieve specific CSR goals. As well as collaboration improves the range of services provided. Your organizations can strengthen advocacy voices by collaborating with renowned and like-minded nonprofits. Equally, you get opportunities to learn and advocate CSR missions with them to fulfil SDGs. The louder the voice louder the impact on society. 

Overview of Marpu Foundation

Let’s know about the Marpu Foundation. 

Marpu Foundation | NGO is a Telangana-based non-profit organization. It was established by Mr Kadiri Raghu Vamsi. It was founded to derive solutions to several critical environmental and social issues. For instance, this organization works in more than 22 states at present. It incorporates several sustainable programs in numerous sectors including research, skill development, sanitation, CSR, recycling and more. For this purpose, it affiliates with government agencies, corporate partners, society and numerous organizations. 

Marpu’s vision is to create a world where individuals can have opportunity and resource allocation for sustainable development. Bringing potential positive changes through innovation and project promotion is its mission. 

This non-profit organization leads several projects and initiatives. Affordable Clean Energy, Climate Action Plans, Gender Equality, Life on Land, Sustainable Cities and Communities and more are ongoing programs. It develops a sustainable future through strategic collaboration and partnership. Overall, The Marpu Foundation was titled “The Best NGO of India” in 2020. 

This article tells why collaboration with the Marpu Foundation is beneficial to enhance the CSR impacts of your organization. 

How can you collaborate with the Marpu Foundation? 

A strategic partnership approach and collaboration amplify CSR initiatives. Here some possible ways are given that you can follow to be a partner of the Marpu Foundation. 

Identify the common goals: The Marpu Foundation incorporates several CSR initiatives. The CSR activities impact empowering youths, education, hunger relief and supporting women. It works on protecting our mother nature, innovation, and clean energy. Before approaching a partnership with Marpu you need to identify whether your CSR goals align with its CSR ones or not. Having a common vision and values accelerates to meet CSR goals. Equally, you get an active voice, leadership, and guidance for CSR projects.

For example, the Marpu Foundation actively works on promoting quality education. It is continuing this project in underprivileged areas. This foundation provides skill development programs, tuition classes, and educational infrastructure development programs. Besides that, the partnership with the Marpu Foundation provides valuable interaction to fulfil this common goal. 

Develop external partnership: Many organizations reap the value of partnership-driven CSR. To develop an external partnership with the Marpu Foundation you need research to find common CSR goals. Additionally, it is important for your brand alignment. You can develop a proposal by mentioning the purpose, goals and advantages of partnership for both parties. Specification of detailed contributions of all kinds of support, and volunteer work is crucial. 

For instance, the Marpu Foundation is actively working on an SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being program. It organizes medical camps and free medical checkups. They educate people for good health and mental well-being through this program. This time, several renowned companies work with the Marpu Foundation to fulfil SDG 3. You can be a part of this journey by developing an external partnership with this NGO.  

Leveraging strength: The Marpu Foundation leverages the accessibility of resources, capabilities, and leadership. On the subject of leveraging strength, expertise for both your organization and foundation is required. Identification of core competencies is crucial here. It includes networking, community reach, fundraising capability, online presence, technical guidance and more. Equally, you can conduct internal assessments to recognise the strength of organizations. The collaborative vision with the Marpu Foundation provides scope to lead to successful outcomes. 

This time, the Marpu Foundation is continuing the project on SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 15: Life on Land. To work on these programs you need to leverage strength in understanding environmental sustainability. Awakening the issues, understanding core impacts, evaluation, action, advocacy, and re-evaluation are the following stages. In addition, joint initiatives and open communication are effective ways to improve partnerships. 

Many renowned organizations have participated in tree plantation programs, waste management, and restoring ecosystems. A collaborative initiative has been taken to educate people regarding biodiversity, sustainable environment and possible ways of reducing carbon footprints.  

CSR Impacts Collaborating With Marpu Foundation

The Marpu Foundation enhances employee engagement in volunteering activities. It supports corporate volunteering in which Marpu offers customized volunteering opportunities by engaging corporate employees in different CSR activities. Employee volunteering programs enhance the opportunities for skill development and expertise in ongoing projects. Corporate involvement with the Marpu Foundation enhances public image. Participating in its impactful social work status of corporate agencies has elevated. This time, people support those companies who are actively working on social causes. Such collaboration not only attracts investors but also bolsters organizations' market position. 

CSR initiatives with the Marpu Foundation enhance job satisfaction, employee morale and loyalty. Such social activities boost employee morale, and motivation and create a positive work culture. Business owners get ideas for sustainable business practices by participating in sustainable environment-related programs. Corporate companies find new market and business opportunities by connecting with local communities. Corporations leverage their knowledge regarding product and service development by understanding people's needs.     

In conclusion, collaborating with the Marpu Foundation enhances the CSR efforts of organizations. It leads to substantial benefits both for society and the company. Particularly, such collaboration boosts community welfare and corporate reputation. Employee engagement, corporate volunteering and adopting sustainable business practices lead to positive impacts on organizational performance. Consequently, the effective participation of both business organizations and the Marpu Foundation can build a sustainable world. The role of CSR activities can mitigate societal and environmental challenges. With the advocacy voice of the Marpu Foundation business can elevate their CSR impacts.  

To know more about the Marpu Foundation and its activities please visit its official website https://www.marpu.org/

[dive-hire]

Interview Success: How to Impress Potential Employers and Land Your Dream Job

In today's fiercely competitive job market, an outstanding interview performance can be the game-changer that propels you towards your dream job. Mastering the art of impressing potential employers requires a strategic approach that combines thorough preparation, effective communication, and strategic follow-up. Let's delve into the strategies and insights that will not only leave a lasting impression but also position you as the ideal candidate.

1. Research the Company Thoroughly

Before stepping into the interview room, immerse yourself in comprehensive research about the company. Understand its core values, mission, recent achievements, and industry positioning. This knowledge not only showcases your genuine interest but also allows you to align your responses with the company's culture and goals.

2. Master the Basics: Dress and Punctuality

First impressions matter, and your appearance sets the tone for the interview. Dress professionally, aligning with the company's dress code. Additionally, arrive at least 15 minutes early to demonstrate punctuality and eagerness. Being late or underdressed can send the wrong message right from the start.

3. Craft a Compelling Elevator Pitch

Be ready to introduce yourself with a succinct and compelling elevator pitch. Highlight your key strengths, experiences, and what sets you apart from other candidates. Keep it concise, engaging, and tailored to the job you're interviewing for.

4. Showcase Your Achievements with STAR Method

When discussing your professional experiences, use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Share specific examples of your achievements and contributions, focusing on the positive outcomes. This structured approach provides depth to your responses and showcases your capabilities.

5. Demonstrate Your Soft Skills

While technical expertise is crucial, employers also value soft skills. Showcase your communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through real-life examples. This not only adds depth to your profile but also highlights your potential for seamless integration into the company culture.

6. Ask Thoughtful Questions

An interview is an opportunity for dialogue. Asking thoughtful questions not only demonstrates your genuine interest in the role but also provides insights into your strategic thinking. Inquire about the company's future plans, team dynamics, or opportunities for professional development.

7. Follow-Up with a Thank-You Email

After the interview, send a thank-you email expressing gratitude for the opportunity, reiterating your enthusiasm for the role, and briefly mentioning a key point from the interview. This professional courtesy reinforces your interest and keeps you in the interviewer's mind.

Conclusion

Acing the interview process requires a strategic blend of preparation, presentation, and follow-up. By incorporating these strategies into your approach, you not only leave a lasting impression but also increase your chances of landing your dream job.

To enrich your understanding of interview success and job search tips, explore further insights at Dive-Hire, your go-to platform for personalized coaching and tailored opportunities. If you are actively looking for your next job opportunity, visit our website today

[notebooknebula]

Can You Be 'Dirt Rich'? With Mark Podolsky and Jay Conner

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://www.JaysLiveEvent.com

Free Report:

Join the Private Money Academy: 

On Raising Private Money we’ll speak with new and seasoned investors to dissect their deals and extract the best tips and strategies to help you get the money!

Today we have Mark Podolsky! Armed with only $3,000, gut-wrenching fear, and absolutely no real estate experience…

Mark bought his first few parcels of raw land in 2001. Today Mark is the author of “Dirt Rich”, the ultimate guide to helping you build a passive income. and owner of Frontier Properties, a very reputable and successful land investing company, and has been buying and selling land full time since 2001.

By focusing on working smart, not hard, he has completed over 5,500 land deals with an average ROI of over 300% on cash flips, and over 1,000% on the deals he sells with financing terms.

Prior to his land investing success, Mark had a high-stress, soulless corporate job, and felt trapped in a state of solo-economic dependency (i.e. his income stopped as soon as he stopped working).

Escaping solo-economic dependency changed Mark’s life in so many positive ways that he decided to teach, coach, and mentor others to help them achieve their financial goals.

Even though Mark invests a lot of his time helping others, he stays actively involved in running his land investing business and is dedicated to teaching the most current and relevant “real world” land investing methods to his students.

Timestamps:

0:01 - Raising Private Money Without Asking For It

2:43 - Mark Podolsky, a.k.a. the LandGeek

6:14 - Jay Conner’s Free Money Guide: https://www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide

6:52 - Can You Be Dirt Reach With Land Investing?

14:28 - Connect with Mark Podolsky: https://www.TheLandGeek.com/Free-Book

15:29 - Land Flipping: It’s A Simple Model But Not Easy

19:20 - The Thing with Franchise Business

21:24 - Potential Motivated Sellers In Land Investing Business

24:58 - Note Payment Of $100 For $1,000 Investment

26:36 - What Is Land Arbitrage?

29:21 - If You’ll Do The Next 3 to 5 Years What Othe People Won’t Do, You’ll Be Able To Do For The Rest Of Your Life What Other People Can’t Do - Zig Ziglar

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now?

It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at

What is Private Money? Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. He maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal without using his own money or credit.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

YouTube Channel

Apple Podcasts:

Facebook:

[personal-finance-india]

Top 10 Money investment ideas in India for 2023

Every investor seeks the Best Investment Ideas in India that will provide the highest return in the shortest amount of time while posing the least amount of risk. Some people invest to achieve specific investment goals, while others invest to achieve financial security.

Let's take a quick look at the top 10 money investment ideas in India for 2023, which are divided into three categories: short- term, medium-term and long-term.

Read: Family financial plan- 7 steps of Financial planning for families

 Best Short Term Investment Options

Short-term objectives necessitate that investments be easily accessible.

Bank Fixed Deposits (FDs)

FDs provide fixed returns over the tenure of the investment. Profits are paid out monthly, quarterly, or annually. Annual interest rates on FDs range from 6.5% to 7%. FDs are available in a variety of tenures (7days - 10 years).

Chit Funds

A chit fund is based on a rotating savings and credit association system. Chit fund schemes can be organised by financial institutions or take place informally between friends, relatives, or neighbours.

Chit funds serve as both an investment and a borrowing tool.

Read: How Does The Money Club Mobile App Work? - The Money Club

 Best Medium-Term Investment Options

Medium-term goals are those that you wish to achieve within the next three to five years.

National Savings Certificates (NSC)

The National Savings Certificate, or NSC, is a government of India post office savings product. NSC deposits mature in 5 years, with an annual interest rate of 6.8%. However, the entire amount is payable at maturity.

Read: Best Guaranteed Monthly Income Plans: 10 Monthly Income Schemes

 Best Long-Term Investment Options

Your long-term investment ideas are those that you hope to complete within the next seven to ten years.

Real Estate

The real estate industry in India is among the fastest growing. Buying an apartment or a plot of land is the best investment plan in India. It functions as an asset, which is one of the best long-term investment strategies with high returns.

Direct Equity

Investing in equities is one of the best ways to build wealth for long-term goals. Direct equity funds offer higher returns than any other investment option on the market. However, direct equity is a high-risk investment option.

Gold

Gold has been regarded as a potential investment since antiquity. Many banks now offer gold coin. Gold ETFs can be used to invest in paper gold, which is less pricey.

Read: Small Savings Schemes - High Return Small Saving Schemes in India

 Equity Mutual Funds

Stocks are the primary investment of equity mutual funds. These funds are managed by qualified fund managers. As a result, they only invest your money after conducting extensive research. As a result, your chances of generating profitable returns over time increases.

Public Provident Fund (PPF)

PPF is a very safe investment plan. A PPF account can be opened at any bank or post office. The invested funds are locked in for a 15-year period. Additionally, you can earn compound interest on the money that has accumulated in this investment option.

Read: What are Top 12 Alternative Investment Options in India for 2022

 ULIPs

A Unit-Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) is a life insurance and investment product. A portion of the payment goes toward insurance coverage, while the remainder is invested in market-linked securities such as shares, bonds, and a variety of other securities.

NPS

National Pension System (NPS) is a long-term retirement investment product. Its objective is to ensure people's financial security after they retire.

[townplanners]

Why Town Planners Is The Best Partner In Development Project?

Town planners Campbelltown are the best partners in development projects because they understand every aspect of the process, from start to finish.

 From conducting feasibility studies, creating a vision for a new community (or revitalizing an existing one), and even identifying potential roadblocks along the way, town planners are there for you every step of the way.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a way of thinking about the future that addresses the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The term 'sustainable' means not just 'lasting', but also 'being able to be maintained at a certain rate or level'. Sustainable development is about making choices that will protect and enhance the environment, now and in the future.

Sustainable design involves creating structures that are economical, environmentally friendly, and functional for both present and future occupants. It also promotes an understanding of how we can reduce our impact on society and live more responsibly within it.

Viable Development

Viable development is a process that allows you to achieve your goals and objectives. It involves making sure that the town plan is in line with the needs of the residents and the state government. It also involves ensuring that the plan is in line with the policies of the state government.

The first step of viable development is setting your goals, objectives, and vision for your project. This means identifying what it is you want to achieve with your project and how you will go about doing it. 

Once these things are identified, then it becomes easier for us as planners to identify where there are gaps or weaknesses in our plans and make appropriate changes so that we can ensure the successful execution of our project.

Once the goals and objectives have been set, it is time to determine what kind of town or city you want to build. This means that we need to develop a concept plan before we can start building. 

A concept plan is very similar in nature to an artist’s rough sketch of their painting: it shows the general layout of how things will be arranged but does not include details about specifics like colors or materials used for construction.

Efficient Planning

Planning is a process of identifying and analyzing the problems, defining the objectives and goals, determining the resources required to achieve these goals, and developing strategies and plans for their achievement. Planning is not just a one-time activity; it needs to be continual throughout development.

Town Planners has been providing planning services for more than 15 years now. Our experience in this field helps us provide you with efficient planning solutions that meet your requirements across all aspects of development projects such as land acquisition, infrastructure design & management, etc.

Achievable Planning

The town planner Campbelltown should be able to come up with a plan that is achievable. The town planner should be able to work with the client to come up with a plan that is achievable. The town planner should be able to deliver an achievable plan.

Conclusion

Development is a process and not an end. The town planners have to be always ready to review the development plan. They have to continuously update their knowledge and skills as there will be constant changes in the pattern of development. 

In this way, they will be able to provide timely solutions for all challenges faced by the people at different levels of the life cycle of the projects or areas that are being planned for development.

Source by – Why Town Planners Is The Best Partner In Development Project?

[onlineweather]

Desert rats vs afrika korps protection drivers

18 Nations-each with special abilities and unique military units.

Start with a single city in the Ancient Age gather resources build an infrastructure research technologies construct Wonders of the World such as the Pyramids and the Eiffel Tower and expand your military might across the world, conquering hostile nations with bombers, battleships, and tanks-all over your lunch hour! In Rise of Nations there are: Rise of Nations Rise of Nations is a real-time strategy game that spans all history. Otherwise, a military coup may occur.Ĭategories in common with Tropico 3: Strategy | Simulation But the military, in turn, must also be happy with life. Undermining the Palace means defeat in the game, so in case of a low level of happiness, a vast army has to suppress the riots. And when the rebels accumulate a lot, they attack various objects, including the Palace. If the level of happiness is low, the people can go to the rebels. How the government provides these aspects to its residents depends on the level of satisfaction of the population, as each need is different for each resident. The primary task is to ensure the fulfillment of five basic needs for each resident: food (the requirement to build farms), housing (if a resident does not have a house, or he has nothing to pay for it, he makes shacks that spoil the beauty of the city and increase crime), religion (construction of temples), entertainment (build bars, cafes, cinemas) and medical support (construction of hospitals) The action takes place in the midst of the cold war, which has an impact on the course of events. Platform: PC | Xbox One | PlayStation 4 | macOS | Linux | Nintendo SwitchĪccording to the story, you play as "El Presidente" and head a small island country in Latin America. Play against your friends or against an AI with different difficulty levels and personalitiesĪdventure | Strategy | Simulation | Indie Manage your resources carefully and survive harsh winters and vicious foesĮxpand and discover new territory with unique strategic opportunitiesĪchieve different victory conditions (Conquest, Fame, Lore, Trading.) That is, if they can survive the dire wolves and undead warriors roaming the land, befriend or defeat the giants, and survive the harshest winters ever witnessed in the North.īuild your settlement on the newly discovered continent of NorthgardĪssign your vikings to various jobs (Farmer, Warrior, Sailor, Loremaster.) The boldest Northmen have set sail to explore and conquer these new shores, bring fame to their Clan and write history through conquest, trading, or devotion to the Gods. The Complete Edition of Civilization III includes the most updated version of the game and both released expansions: Play The World and Conquest.Ĭategories in common with Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete: Strategy | SimulationĪfter years of tireless explorations, brave Vikings have discovered a new land filled with mystery, danger and riches: Northgard. This brings a significant amount of variety in gameplay and lets player experiment with different ways of progression for each civilization. This can be achieved in different ways, such as: destroying every other civilization with, controlling more than 2/3 of the world’s land, building a spacecraft, assimilating other nations and diplomatic domination. The primary goal of every match is to defeat other civilizations. The player can choose from 16 different civilizations (15 more are added in expansion packs included in Complete Edition) all of which have their unique characteristics and individual units. The game is centered around building a civilization starting in 4000 BC and until modern days. Platform: PC | iOS | Android | macOS | Linux | Nintendo Switch | WiiĬivilization III is the third installment in 4X strategy series Sid Meier’s Civilization. The player must combine them to complete each level.Ĭategories in common with World of Goo: Strategy | Puzzle | Educational | Family | Indie There are several types of goo balls, each of which has unique properties.

To do this, the player must use the goo balls to build various structures such as towers and bridges, to overcome gravity in different places such as dungeons, hills, abysses or rocks. The primary goal of the game is to bring the required number of goo balls to the pipe which is the exit. Its essence is to build high towers with the help of extra balls goo, which the player managed to collect during the passage of the other levels. There is another bonus level called World of Goo Corporation. And, what is remarkable, each level has stylized visual and musical themes, what gives the game a unique atmosphere. The gameplay consists of creating different shapes of goo balls. World of Goo is a physical construction puzzle.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

though as much as i support the ndp, im concerned abt the lack of detail regarding their energy and carbon platforms. if we're going to push the ndp left we should focus on genuine commitment to effectively reducing emissions

I don't think there's a major lack of detail:

After having overseen emissions increases every single year in which they have been in power, the Liberals have set a target that is not in line with what the best available science says is needed, and won’t do enough to prevent the catastrophic consequences of warming above 1.5 degrees.

Parliament recently passed C-12, to put in law our collective commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. New Democrats are proud of the role we have played in getting here – from Jack Layton’s advocacy for climate accountability legislation almost 15 years ago, to our success in ensuring C-12 included short-term accountability measures – measures that will be so critical in setting Canada up to meet those targets.

C-12 was a step in the right direction, but it was not the bill New Democrats would have written. New Democrats are committed to helping stabilize the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To that end we will set a target of reducing Canada’s emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, reaching further wherever possible to account for Canada’s fair share. We know that reaching net-zero by 2050 means taking action now, during the term of this next Parliament. We will work with partners to establish multi-year national and sectoral carbon budgets as a key guiding framework to develop Canada’s path to 2030 and beyond. And we will create and fund a Climate Accountability Office, to provide independent oversight of federal climate progress, to engage the public, and to make recommendations on how to achieve our goals.

Putting a price on carbon has been an important tool in efforts to drive emissions reductions. We will continue with carbon pricing while making it fairer and rolling back loopholes this Liberal government has given to big polluters. But we also recognize that carbon pricing won’t be enough to tackle the climate crisis. Further action is needed.

Building on net-zero legislation will also be a priority for a New Democratic government. We will support Canada’s net-zero target by reviewing financial legislation, such as the Bank of Canada Act, the Export Development Canada Act, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act, to ensure federal financial levers and Crown corporations are aligned with the goal of net-zero. We will work with provinces to put in place a framework for corporate climate accountability to ensure mandatory transparency on carbon risk from publicly traded companies. And we will ensure that strict rules are in place to prevent big companies from using the purchase of offsets as a way to escape their net-zero obligations.

One thing we won’t do is continue down the path that Liberal and Conservative governments have chosen when it comes to spending public money on oil and gas subsidies. Under Prime Minister Trudeau, the federal government spent $18 billion to support oil and gas exploration, production, refining, transportation and more in 2020 alone – and that’s on top of purchasing the Kinder-Morgan oil pipeline. New Democrats know that public funds are best spent supporting the transition to renewable energy, rather than on profitable oil and gas companies. We will fulfill Canada’s G-20 commitment to eliminate these fossil fuel subsidies and redirect these funds to low carbon initiatives, and make sure that future governments can’t reverse this by putting in place legislation to ban any future oil, gas and pipeline subsidies.

We’ll work with the provinces and territories to make Canada an innovation leader on methane reduction in such areas as real-time monitoring and leakage detection, ensuring that provincial methane regulations are genuinely equivalent with the federal regulations, and increasing the ambition of those targets in the 2025-30 period.

The federal government can also model change, by becoming a trail-blazer in energy efficiency, clean technologies and renewable energy use. We will lead by example and procure from Canadian companies producing clean technology, ensure that federal buildings use renewable energy, and move the vehicle fleets of the federal government to electric by 2025, choosing made-in-Canada wherever possible. We will protect Canadian businesses who are taking action to transition to a low-carbon future with a border carbon adjustment that will level the playing field on imports from areas without a carbon price. And we will appoint a Climate Emergency Committee of Cabinet and establish astrong Climate Emergency Secretariat in the PMO to ensure a whole-of-government approach to responding to the climate emergency.

And:

Canadian workers are worried about their place in the changing global economy. The global climate is changing, and Canadian jobs are changing too. But successive Liberal and Conservative governments have left workers to navigate these shifts on their own. New Democrats know that skilled Canadian workers - construction, trades, engineering and others - will be needed to build a low-carbon economy. We will put those workers front and centre of our climate action plan, and fight for workers and their communities to make sure nobody is left behind.

We have a plan to create over a million new good jobs in all communities and rebuild local economies with meaningful, family-sustaining work in every part of the country, all while helping to make the changes we need to succeed in a low carbon future. This will include jobs building green infrastructure in communities across the country, and because products produced by Canadian workers have some of the lowest carbon emissions in the world, we will require the use of Canadian-made steel, aluminum, cement and wood products for infrastructure projects across the country. And just as climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, we are committed to ensuring these same communities benefit from the job-creation and community-building benefits of these investments.

As we turn the corner on COVID-19 and build an economic recovery for people, we have a precious opportunity to build back better. New Democrats would ensure that recovery funding is used to support our net-zero objectives. To that end we would ensure that large businesses receiving recovery funding agree to plan for net-zero – and we would ensure those funds go to supporting Canadian jobs, not executives or shareholders.

The workers most impacted by the changes in our economy cannot pay the price of inaction on climate change. We will work together with labour, employers and the provinces and territories to find solutions for workers and communities. This includes providing dedicated employment support combining access to expanded EI benefits, re-training and job placement services, ensuring companies retain and redeploy their workers when in transition, and ensuring that workers nearing retirement have the retirement security they have worked their whole lives for, without penalties to their pensions if they retire early.

We will boost clean tech research and manufacturing with new funding, incentives and Buy Canadian procurement of environmentally friendly technologies. This will help bring more innovative Canadian clean technology to market and support Canadian manufacturing of batteries, energy storage solutions and alternative fuels like biofuels made from waste. It will also help keep jobs here in Canada.

We will work to put in place joint workplace environment committees – modelled on the successful joint workplace health and safety committees which have had a major impact on making workplaces safer – to help reduce emissions at the source in every workplace.

And we will support sustainable agriculture, working with Canadian farmers to promote sustainable land-management techniques and methods to reduce GHG emissions. We’ll also work with the agricultural sector to help them access low carbon tools and technology, and adapt to climate-induced weather changes and other impacts of the climate crisis, including the associated increase in pests and invasive species.

And:

Our communities are where we can most clearly feel the impacts of the climate emergency – and one of the best places that we can invest to rapidly reduce emissions, save money and make life better.

At the current pace, it will take 142 years to retrofit all low-rise residential buildings in Canada. New Democrats will undertake a mission-based approach, setting an ambitious retrofitting program to upgrade where people live and work, including requiring large scale building retrofits in all sectors. And we will set a target of retrofitting all buildings in Canada by 2050 – beginning with upgrades to all buildings built before 2020 in the next 20 years. Helping families make energy efficient improvements to their homes through low-interest loans help save families almost $900 or more per year on home energy costs. Targeted supports would be provided to low-income households and to renters. Supporting retrofits to improve indoor air quality will also help prevent further waves of COVID-19.

We will work with provinces, municipalities and Indigenous government to make sure that communities have the resources they need to cope safely with extreme weather events. This National Crisis Strategy will help communities plan for and adapt to the changing climate and the weather extremes we are already facing – particularly for vulnerable, remote, and Indigenous communities. The strategy would be supported with long-term funding for adaptation, disaster mitigation, and climate resilient infrastructure. And a new Civilian Climate Corps would mobilize young people and create new jobs supporting conservation efforts and addressing the threat of climate change by undertaking activities such as helping restore wetlands, and planting the billions of trees that need to be planted in the years ahead.

We’ll improve the National Building Code to ensure that by 2025 every new building built in Canada is net-zero. Energy efficiency and sustainable building practices will be at the core of our national housing strategy, leveraging the power of federal investments to create good jobs all across the country delivering the affordable homes Canadians need.

As more Canadians have become accustomed to working from home as a result of the pandemic, more than half of Canadians living in rural areas still don’t have access to high-speed internet. We will make sure that every Canadian has access to affordable, reliable high-speed broadband within four years. This will include taking the first steps to create a Crown corporation to ensure the delivery of quality, affordable telecom services to every community. Supporting more remote work will reduce commuting times and support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

[sciencespies]

The Sex Education Pamphlet That Sparked a Landmark Censorship Case

https://sciencespies.com/history/the-sex-education-pamphlet-that-sparked-a-landmark-censorship-case/

The Sex Education Pamphlet That Sparked a Landmark Censorship Case

Mary Ware Dennett wrote The Sex Side of Life in 1915 as a teaching tool for her teenage sons. Photo illustration by Meilan Solly / Photos courtesy of Sharon Spaulding and Newspapers.com

It only took 42 minutes for an all-male jury to convict Mary Ware Dennett. Her crime? Sending a sex education pamphlet through the mail.

Charged with violating the Comstock Act of 1873—one of a series of so-called chastity laws—Dennett, a reproductive rights activist, had written and illustrated the booklet in question for her own teenage sons, as well as for parents around the country looking for a new way to teach their children about sex.

Lawyer Morris Ernst filed an appeal, setting in motion a federal court case that signaled the beginning of the end of the country’s obscenity laws. The pair’s victory marked the zenith of Dennett’s life work, building on her previous efforts to publicize and increase access to contraception and sex education. (Prior to the trial, she was best known as the more conservative rival of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood.) Today, however, United States v. Dennett and its defendant are relatively unknown.

“One of the reasons the Dennett case hasn’t gotten the attention that it deserves is simply because it was an incremental victory, but one that took the crucial first step,” says Laura Weinrib, a constitutional historian and law scholar at Harvard University. “First steps are often overlooked. We tend to look at the culmination and miss the progression that got us there.”

Dennett wrote the offending pamphlet (in blue) for her two sons.  

Sharon Spaulding / Dennett Family Archive

Dennett wrote the pamphlet in question, The Sex Side of Life: An Explanation for Young People, in 1915. Illustrated with anatomically correct drawings, it provided factual information, offered a discussion of human physiology and celebrated sex as a natural human act.

“[G]ive them the facts,” noted Dennett in the text, “… but also give them some conception of sex life as a vivifying joy, as a vital art, as a thing to be studied and developed with reverence for its big meaning, with understanding of its far-reaching reactions, psychologically and spiritually.”

After Dennett’s 14-year-old son approved the booklet, she circulated it among friends who, in turn, shared it with others. Eventually, The Sex Side of Life landed on the desk of editor Victor Robinson, who published it in his Medical Review of Reviewsin 1918. Calling the pamphlet “a splendid contribution,” Robinson added, “We know nothing that equals Mrs. Dennett’s brochure.” Dennett, for her part, received so many requests for copies that she had the booklet reprinted and began selling it for a quarter to anyone who wrote to her asking for one.

These transactions flew in the face of the Comstock Laws, federal and local anti-obscenity legislation that equated birth control with pornography and rendered all devices and information for the prevention of conception illegal. Doctors couldn’t discuss contraception with their patients, nor could parents discuss it with their children.

Dennett as a young woman

Sharon Spaulding / Dennett Family Archive

The Sex Side of Life offered no actionable advice regarding birth control. As Dennett acknowledged in the brochure, “At present, unfortunately, it is against the law to give people information as to how to manage their sex relations so that no baby will be created.” But the Comstock Act also stated that any printed material deemed “obscene, lewd or lascivious”—labels that could be applied to the illustrated pamphlet—was “non-mailable.” First-time offenders faced up to five years in prison or a maximum fine of $5,000.

In the same year that Dennett first wrote the brochure, she co-founded the National Birth Control League (NBCL), the first organization of its kind. The group’s goal was to change obscenity laws at a state level and unshackle the subject of sex from Victorian morality and misinformation.

By 1919, Dennett had adopted a new approach to the fight for women’s rights. A former secretary for state and national suffrage associations, she borrowed a page from the suffrage movement, tackling the issue on the federal level rather than state-by-state. She resigned from the NBCL and founded the Voluntary Parenthood League, whose mission was to pass legislation in Congress that would remove the words “preventing conception” from federal statutes, thereby uncoupling birth control from pornography.

Dennett soon found that the topic of sex education and contraception was too controversial for elected officials. Her lobbying efforts proved unsuccessful, so in 1921, she again changed tactics. Though the Comstock Laws prohibited the dissemination of obscene materials through the mail, they granted the postmaster general the power to determine what constituted obscenity. Dennett reasoned that if the Post Office lifted its ban on birth control materials, activists would win a partial victory and be able to offer widespread access to information.

Postmaster General William Hays, who had publicly stated that the Post Office should not function as a censorship organization, emerged as a potential ally. But Hays resigned his post in January 1922 without taking action. (Ironically, Hays later established what became known as the Hays Code, a set of self-imposed restrictions on profanity, sex and morality in the motion picture industry.) Dennett had hoped that the incoming postmaster general, Hubert Work, would fulfill his predecessor’s commitments. Instead, one of Work’s first official actions was to order copies of the Comstock Laws prominently displayed in every post office across America. He then declared The Sex Side of Life “unmailable” and “indecent.”

Mary Ware Dennett, pictured in the 1940s

Dennett Family Archive

Undaunted, Dennett redoubled her lobbying efforts in Congress and began pushing to have the postal ban on her booklet removed. She wrote to Work, pressing him to identify which section was obscene, but no response ever arrived. Dennett also asked Arthur Hays, chief counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to challenge the ban in court. In letters preserved at Radcliffe College’s Schlesinger Library, Dennett argued that her booklet provided scientific and factual information. Though sympathetic, Hays declined, believing that the ACLU couldn’t win the case.

By 1925, Dennett—discouraged, broke and in poor health—had conceded defeat regarding her legislative efforts and semi-retired. But she couldn’t let the issue go entirely. She continued to mail The Sex Side of Life to those who requested copies and, in 1926, published a book titled Birth Control Laws: Shall We Keep Them, Change Them, or Abolish Them?

Publicly, Dennett’s mission was to make information about birth control legal; privately, however, her motivation was to protect other women from the physical and emotional suffering she had endured.

The activist wed in 1900 and gave birth to three children, two of whom survived, within five years. Although the specifics of her medical condition are unknown, she likely suffered from lacerations of the uterus or fistulas, which are sometimes caused by childbirth and can be life-threatening if one becomes pregnant again.

Without access to contraceptives, Dennett faced a terrible choice: refrain from sexual intercourse or risk death if she conceived. Within two years, her husband had left her for another woman.

Dennett obtained custody of her children, but her abandonment and lack of access to birth control continued to haunt her. Eventually, these experiences led her to conclude that winning the vote was only one step on the path to equality. Women, she believed, deserved more.

In 1928, Dennett again reached out to the ACLU, this time to lawyer Ernst, who agreed to challenge the postal ban on the Sex Side of Life in court. Dennett understood the risks and possible consequences to her reputation and privacy, but she declared herself ready to “take the gamble and be game.” As she knew from press coverage of her separation and divorce, newspaper headlines and stories could be sensational, even salacious. (The story was considered scandalous because Dennett’s husband wanted to leave her to form a commune with another family.)

Dennett cofounded the National Birth Control League, the first organization of its kind in the U.S., in 1915. Three years later, she launched the Voluntary Parenthood League, which lobbied Congress to change federal obscenity laws.

Sharon Spaulding / Dennett Family Archive

“Dennett believed that anyone who needed contraception should get it without undue burden or expense, without moralizing or gatekeeping by the medical establishment,” says Stephanie Gorton, author of Citizen Reporters: S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell and the Magazine That Rewrote America. “Though she wasn’t fond of publicity, she was willing to endure a federal obscenity trial so the next generation could have accurate sex education—and learn the facts of life without connecting them with shame or disgust.”

In January 1929, before Ernst had finalized his legal strategy, Dennett was indicted by the government. Almost overnight, the trial became national news, buoyed by The Sex Side of Life’s earlier endorsement by medical organizations, parents’ groups, colleges and churches. The case accomplished a significant piece of what Dennett had worked 15 years to achieve: Sex, censorship and reproductive rights were being debated across America.

During the trial, assistant U.S. attorney James E. Wilkinson called the Sex Side of Life “pure and simple smut.” Pointing at Dennett, he warned that she would “lead our children not only into the gutter, but below the gutter and into the sewer.”

None of Dennett’s expert witnesses were allowed to testify. The all-male jury took just 45 minutes to convict. Ernst filed an appeal.

In May, following Dennett’s conviction but prior to the appellate court’s ruling, an investigative reporter for the New York Telegram uncovered the source of the indictment. A postal inspector named C.E. Dunbar had been “ordered” to investigate a complaint about the pamphlet filed by an official with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Using the pseudonym Mrs. Carl Miles, Dunbar sent a decoy letter to Dennett requesting a copy of the pamphlet. Unsuspecting, Dennett mailed the copy, thereby setting in motion her indictment, arrest and trial. (Writing about the trial later, Dennett noted that the DAR official who allegedly made the complaint was never called as a witness or identified. The activist speculated, “Is she, perhaps, as mythical as Mrs. Miles?”)

Dennett’s is a name that deserves to be known.

When news of the undercover operation broke, Dennett wrote to her family that “support for the case is rolling up till it looks like a mountain range.” Leaders from the academic, religious, social and political sectors formed a national committee to raise money and awareness in support of Dennett; her name became synonymous with free speech and sex education.

In March 1930, an appellate court reversed Dennett’s conviction, setting a landmark precedent. It wasn’t the full victory Dennett had devoted much of her life to achieving, but it cracked the legal armor of censorship.

“Even though Mary Ware Dennett wasn’t a lawyer, she became an expert in obscenity law,” says constitutional historian Weinrib. “U.S. v. Dennett was influential in that it generated both public enthusiasm and money for the anti-censorship movement. It also had a tangible effect on the ACLU’s organizational policies, and it led the ACLU to enter the fight against all forms of what we call morality-based censorship.”

Ernst was back in court the following year. Citing U.S. v. Dennett, he won two lawsuits on behalf of British sex educator Marie Stopes and her previously banned books, Married Love and Contraception. Then, in 1933, Ernst expanded on arguments made in the Dennett case to encompass literature and the arts. He challenged the government’s ban on James Joyce’s Ulysses and won, in part because of the precedent set by Dennett’s case. Other important legal victories followed, each successively loosening the legal definition of obscenity. But it was only in 1970 that the Comstock Laws were fully struck down.

Ninety-two years after Dennett’s arrest, titles dealing with sex continue to top the list of the American Library Association’s most frequently challenged books. Sex education hasn’t fared much better. As of September 2021, only 18 states require sex education to be medically accurate, and only 30 states mandate sex education at all. The U.S. has one of the highestteen pregnancy rates of all developed nations.

What might Dennett think or do if she were alive today? Lauren MacIvor Thompson, a historian of early 20th-century women’s rights and public health at Kennesaw State University, takes the long view:

While it’s disheartening that we are fighting the same battles over sex and sex education today, I think that if Dennett were still alive, she’d be fighting with school boards to include medically and scientifically accurate, inclusive, and appropriate information in schools. … She’d [also] be fighting to ensure fair contraceptive and abortion access, knowing that the three pillars of education, access and necessary medical care all go hand in hand.

At the time of Dennett’s death in 1947, The Sex Side of Life had been translated into 15 languages and printed in 23 editions. Until 1964, the activist’s family continued to mail the pamphlet to anyone who requested a copy.

 “As a lodestar in the history of marginalized Americans claiming bodily autonomy and exercising their right to free speech in a cultural moment hostile to both principles,” says Gorton, “Dennett’s is a name that deserves to be known.”

Activism

Censorship

Law

Sex

Sexuality

Women’s History

Women’s Rights

Women’s Suffrage

#History

[snothando-p-nxumalo]

Uplifting the community using the sustainable developmental goals

(Uplifting Community, n.d.)

By uplifting the community, I mean providing the society with strategies to overcome their barriers more especially those affecting their well-being and functioning at home as my aim is to improve the clients’ ability to perform their daily activities and meet their needs. We have Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve such areas and more globally. Let us first give the meaning of this term before we unpack some of these goals. According to the WHO definition, “the Sustainable Developmental Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.” We have 17 SDGs, but I will be focusing on five of them on how I can implement them within the community.

Goal 3: Good health and Well-being, this goal ensures that every human being is able to enrich their knowledge through promoting health and ways to improve their well-being. I can achieve this by encouraging Health Seeking Behaviour within the community members by improving their understanding of health which is not just the absence of illness but rather to highlight health in terms of mental health, interactions and integration into the community. An attitude towards health is essential for sustaining a healthy lifestyle for a long time (Sabhlok, 2018). Doing health promotions at the clinic is how I can get through the community members and explaining our Role as Occupational Therapists of which will assist to be aware of different conditions and areas that might need intervention on.

Goal 4: Quality education. We all have a right to education, but we have a responsibility to ensure we learn, do our best and be cooperative in order to achieve our goals. Education is one of the principal elements that permit humans to develop as individuals. It teaches humans vital existence, and it opens their thoughts to quite a few thrilling components of existence (The Importance Of Education In Our Society, 2018). Within the community, I visit schools to provide intervention to learners who are battling with their schoolwork. Understanding how important education is, this propels me to give it my best when providing treatment which will allow them to perform better in class.

(Dysgraphia, n.d.)

Goal 5: Gender Equality. No gender should be more superior than the other, opportunities should be presented equally to all humans. From my point of view, this goal is one of my favourites. I feel that as women we are not heard enough and not given the same respect as men receive. Encouraging women empowerment has a positive impact on reducing gender inequality. Achieving this goal means encouraging women to stand up for themselves and believe in their abilities of achieving greater things.

Goal 15: Life on Land. The Inanda Wilderness Park is a nature-based open space where we work at. It is amazing to work at a different setting other than a health facility, working at park has helped me appreciate nature more as we try by all means to do nature-based activity. At the clinic, I always encourage people to come and experience the greatness of nature.

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals. We are working with the Lay Counsellor from Health Systems Trust at the clinic as we have a shared vision of insisting hope to the youth and addressing mental issues they might be facing. This is an informal partnership of which was formed as we saw a need to focus on such issues. We are going to have support groups for the youth which will give them a platform to express themselves in order for us to aid in those areas they are battling with. Our skills come in handy as we will share stress management tips, ways on improving self-esteem, career guidance and so on. These support groups we are hoping that they make a difference within the society.

These above goals work hand in hand to make the community better. The best way to achieve them is by in cooperating them with the OT skills I already have by providing optimal and equal intervention depending on the individual’s needs. Creating a better space for the society to excel is what I wish to do and by this my heart would be full.

  References  

Dysgraphia. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021, from Child Success Center:  https://childsuccesscenter.com/home/services/dysgraphia-struggles-with-handwriting/

Sabhlok, P.  (2018, August 29). The importance of a health seeking behaviour.  Retrieved from Health for the community: https://healthforthecommunity.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/the-importance-of-health-seeking-behaviour/#:¬:text=The%20attitude%20of%20health%20health%20seeking%20behaviour%20is%20Paramount,it%20off%20bud%20what%20is%20essential.

The Importance Of  Education In Our Society. (2018, February 19). Retrieved from Education News:  https://www.educationviews.org/the-importance-of- education-in our-society/

The World Health  Organization. (2008). Sustainable Development Goals. Switzerland.

Uplifting  Community. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021, from The Cause Collaborative:  https://www.thecausecollab.org/upifting-community

[aryahawkz]

Position Paper

The Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Addressing the 

King     : Nanda Yanuaraca

PM    : Juan Kusuma

Aulia Tamami                    (072011233011)

Benedicta Elanda K. N     (072011233006)

Arya Ahmad Afani     (072011233033)

Michelle Natania Listhy     (072011233038)

Nanda Yanuaraca        (072011233048)

Dita Hapsari Blegur        (072011233051)

Juan Kusuma            (072011233066)

Siti Riyanti Nur Fitria S.     (072011233092)

Arofa Nurrahman         (072011233099)

Shafa N. A.            (072011233105)

Made Ayu Septia P.         (072011233109

Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Over the coming decades, a changing climate, growing global population, rising food prices, and environmental stressors will have significant yet uncertain impacts on food security. Adaptation strategies and policy responses to global change, including options for handling water allocation, land use patterns, food trade, postharvest food processing, and food prices and safety are urgently needed. IFPRI’s work on food security includes analysis of cash transfers, promotion of sustainable agricultural technologies, building resilience to shocks, and managing trade-offs in food security, such as balancing the nutritional benefits of meat against the ecological costs of its production.

Food security is influenced by lack of availability, access, and stability for food. People need a sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to meet their nutritional needs but must also be able to eat and properly metabolise such food. Besides food, water shortage is one of the most serious constraints in crop production at global scale and almost all types of crops experience this problem at least during part of the growing season. Clean freshwater is an essential ingredient for a healthy human life, however not many people have access to this as well. The causes of these problems are usually climate change, such as altered weather-patterns, deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gases, and wasteful use of water.

As these problems occur, the Netherlands have already begun their development to combat food scarcity and water shortage as they also changed their policies. To address water shortage and food scarcity, the Netherlands is investing in better water management. As part of their aims for international water policy, various Dutch ministries have teamed up with national and international partners to improve water supplies, boost resilience and reduce loss in 15 countries. To improve food security, the Netherlands prioritize agricultural research and satellite monitoring to help farmers cope more effectively with climate change and adapt to shifting weather patterns.The Netherlands also change its policies from focusing on  increasing agricultural production and reinforcing international trade of tropical commodities towards activities that devote key attention to gender and nutrition, circularity and climate resilience, and upgrading of agro-food value chains. 

One of the main reason why the Netherlands change its policies is because there is a growing (inter)national recognition regarding the urgency to engage in concerted action against hunger and climate change in order to be able to reach the SDG goals within the time frames agreed upon. Hunger in the world is increasing again and temperatures are rising, and therefore we need to accelerate efforts toward Zero Hunger as well as to increase the effectiveness of interventions.Netherlands has been participating in various programs and organizations (FAO, for example) and created new policies on food and nutrition security which is outlined in five priority themes that together shape the food system transition : Combating hunger and malnutrition ; inclusive and efficient agro-food markets and value chains ; climate-smart and circular agriculture ; rural transformation for employment and income creation ; food security for stability and resilience. Lastly, for water sanitation, the Netherlands have joined in partnership with UNICEF, the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSSCC) and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

Even in high-income Western countries like the Netherlands, there are people who cannot afford sufficient nutritious food to eat. Food insecurity can be defined as the lack of availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the lack of ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable way.

Food security is influenced by lack of availability, access, and stability for food. People need a sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to meet their nutritional needs but must also be able to eat and properly metabolise such food. Besides food, water shortage is one of the most serious constraints in crop production at global scale and almost all types of crops experience this problem at least during part of the growing season. Clean freshwater is an essential ingredient for a healthy human life, however not many people have access to this as well. The causes of these problems are usually climate change, such as altered weather-patterns, deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gases, and wasteful use of water.

The Netherlands is internationally recognized as an expert and innovative partner for agricultural development and food security. Its activities are in line with EU policy in this field and play a visible and distinctive role at the UN within an integrated approach to aid, trade and investment. Knowledge, capacity and activity are the common themes.

The letter explains that Dutch policy focuses on all dimensions of food security (people, profit, planet), with the following three main targets:

1. Eradicating hunger and malnutrition

The focus is on vulnerable people who experience hunger firsthand through being affected by poverty, natural disasters, conflicts and other crises. Besides the provision of food aid where needed, permanent access to adequate and proper nutrition is necessary.

2. Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector

The focus is on small and medium-scale farmers as well as other rural entrepreneurs who could potentially serve market demand. Increasing these people’s earning power is a powerful tool in fighting hunger and poverty and promoting economic growth.

3. Achieving ecologically sustainable food systems The focus here is on the sustainable management of international public (environmental) goods like water, soil, energy and biodiversity. The effects of climate change on food systems and vice-versa will be considered during all activities.

The government aims to strike the right balance between these three food security goals. The relationship between the goals throughout the activities will be investigated as much as possible.

The letter was discussed in the Dutch parliament on December 9, 2014, as one of 21 agenda items. The formal report of this debate is not yet available. An impression of the key issues discussed can be found on Viceversaonline (in Dutch).

As the rich and high level of input during the online consultation facilitated by the Food & Business Knowledge Platform could not be captured fully in the F&BKP report for the ministries, the F&BKP Office advised them to use this input in the next phase of implementing the policy through interventions and programs. In line with this advice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering organizing follow-up meetings with stakeholders to elaborate on the themes and ideas in the letter.

On 18 December, it was agreed in the parliament’s committee on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, that a specific committee debate would be organized about Food Security, in the course of the coming months. A majority of committee members was interested to have such a specific debate, while some political parties indicated they didn’t have the intention to participate.

Netherland foreign policy to combat Food security, sustainable agriculture and water management.

Growing more and better food

To improve food security, the Netherlands supports organisations that train and advise men and women farmers and that supply them with more and better-quality seeds. Agricultural research and satellite monitoring are two ways to help farmers cope more effectively with climate change and adapt to shifting weather patterns.For example, the Geodata for Agriculture and Water programme helps sesame and barley producers in Ethiopia by advising them on weather and farming issues. In Kenya it is building a system that warns farmers when growing conditions are less than ideal.

Water management

To address this problem, the Netherlands is investing in better water management. In Mali, for instance, the Water Productivity Open-access portal (WaPOR) database provides real-time satellite monitoring that helps government authorities and farming cooperatives capture, store and reuse water.

As part of the Dutch aims for international water policy, various Dutch ministries have teamed up with national and international partners to improve water supplies, boost resilience and reduce damage in 15 countries. Through Partners for Water (Dutch), the Netherlands supports water management in densely populated delta regions in Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia and elsewhere.

Drinking water and sanitation

To do this, it has joined in partnership with UNICEF, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The Netherlands is also actively involved in the Water, Peace and Security project, which identifies potential conflicts over water and tries to prevent them from escalating.

In order to combat this issue, Netherland seeks to establish rigorous fundamental solutions. These fundamental solutions are key to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and food shortage. However, Netherland is aware that many countries still underestimate this issue. Therefore, the Netherland is proposing a few outline of solution as below:

Establish a transparent global platform for all states to share efficient and effective way to generate food and maintain agriculture as well as clean water supply.

Make a generalized standard for food and water to prevent malnutrition.

Supporting land management issue.

Funding research on new sources of food.

Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector

The Netherlands has decided how it can realistically contribute to SDG 2, identifying three long-term goals to be achieved by 2030. These are as follows:

1.end malnutrition for 32 million people, particularly children;

2.double the productivity and income of 8 million small-scale food producers;

3.achieve ecologically sustainable use of 8 million hectares of farmland.

Apart from activities directly targeting these goals, Netherland are also working to better ensure preconditions for food security. These include knowledge and capacity, land-use rights and the position of women, in cohesion with other sectors and themes. 

Netherland make some program

Bibliography

Ruben, Rued, 2019, Dutch Food Security Policies embrace Food Systems Approach. Food & Business Knowledge Platform (online). Available: https://knowledge4food.net/dutch-food-security-policies-embrace-food-systems-approach/

Government of the Netherlands, Food security, sustainable africulture and water management (online). Available: https://www.government.nl/topics/development-cooperation/the-development-policy-of-the-netherlands/food-security-sustainable-agriculture-and-water

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Food and nutrition security (online). Available: https://dutchdevelopmentresults.nl/theme/food-security#food_malnutrition

International Food Policy Research Institute, Food Security (online). Available: https://www.ifpri.org/topic/food-security#:~:text=Food%20security%2C%20as%20defined%20by,an%20active%20and%20healthy%20life

[immigrationvisaforyou]

10 Things You Need to Know About Canada

As you get ready to grasp your welcome to Canada, realize that a few things are probably going to be done another way than what you are acquainted with.

This article will help set you on the correct way to incorporating into Canadian life. Less disarray and reasonable expectations whenever you’re having visa immigration to Canada will help you become successful.

1.     Weather

Whether sun or snow, Canada is a nice place to live.

If you’re living on the BC coast (or less significantly, portions of Southern Ontario), you are practically sure to encounter cool, frigid winters and blistering summers, with short temporary seasons.

On the off chance that you originate from a mellow or warm atmosphere, the bitter cold of a Canadian winter makes certain to astonish you. It’s hard to describe how cold – 25°C can feel, however dread not, fortunately you can come arranged with the correct attire and mindset.

Another thing you must know that Canadians don’t underestimate summer — they realize how to benefit as much as possible from the warm seasons.

2.     Diversity

Ages of outsiders have gotten a warm greeting to Canada. Multiculturalism is essential for the Canadian ethos, and key to public strategy.

More than 40 sitting Members of Parliament were brought into the world abroad. In any significant city, just as numerous rural communities, you will experience horde dialects, religions, societies and cultures.

You don’t have to relinquish your way of life or values in the wake of moving to Canada; however you do need to develop with the goal that you can effectively modify and have the best possibility of achieving success. Keeping a receptive outlook will benefit you, just as people around you.

3.     Tipping

You may originate from a nation where laborers in the services and hospitality gain an ensured decent pay with extra advantages, and accordingly tipping may not be an aspect of your way of life. That is incredible, however Canada is unique, and getting acquainted with tipping is a basic culture they practiced.

Bartenders and servers for the most part acquire the lowest pay permitted by law, which, depending on the province, is around $10 every hour. In reality, a few regions have a lower the lowest pay permitted by law closer to $8 for service workers, on the expectation that they will earn tips to compensate, and staff typically need to “tip out” other staff, (for example, those in the kitchen), with a portion of their sales.

The standard tip is 15% of the complete bill (or 20% for profoundly proficient, mindful assistance), or a dollar for every beverage.

4.     The job hunt

Researching, looking for and applying for jobs in Canada can be a lengthy process — perhaps much longer than what you are used to, as you establish connections in your new home. Months can pass before you land a professional position, so you should plan accordingly to ensure your welcome to Canada goes smoothly.

Exploring, searching for and going after jobs in Canada can be a protracted cycle — maybe any longer than what you are utilized to, as you set up connections in your new home. Months can go before you land a professional position, so you should plan likewise to guarantee your welcome to Canada goes easily.

This means:

Carry enough funds to tide you through your first few months.

Be set up to take on a non-career job temporarily however consistently be keeping watch for your next professional move.

Start to think and act Canadian before you even set foot in Canada. This implies adjusting to the resume design in Canada, organizing and being proactive.

5.     Cost of living

Evade a harsh greeting to Canada by knowing the essential typical cost for living in your adopted city before you move. In the event that you move and are shocked by how costly lease or transportation is, that is not the city’s shortcoming — it’s yours.

Research is essential. Toronto and Vancouver, especially the midtown regions, are moderately costly. Rent-controlled Montreal, on the other hand, has low property estimations and low lease, yet in addition lower pay rates.

6.     Smoking

It is illegal to smoke in broad daylight places, for example, cafés, stores, workplaces, medical clinics and different work environments. This likewise incorporates public or shared regions of high rises and rental edifices.

On the off chance that you smoke, the main spots you would now be able to do so are in your own living space, your vehicle (except if you have a minor with you), and in the great outdoors

7.     Healthcare

Known the world over for its greatness, the medical care system is one of the columns on which the warm welcome to Canada got by newcomers is built.

It’s conveyed through a publicly-funded system, which is generally free at the purpose of utilization and has most services given by private sectors.

Medical services, however paid for utilizing some federal funds, are controlled by the provinces. A health card is given by the Provincial Ministry of Health to every person who enlists for the program, and everybody gets a similar degree of care.

Permanent residents can receive provincial cover, but in some provinces will have to wait a few months for their provincial coverage to begin. Private comprehensive health insurance policies are available during that period.

Permanent occupants can get provincial cover, however in certain regions should trust that their provincial coverage will start. Private complete medical coverage polices are accessible during that period. Temporary residents (e.g. holders of a working holiday visa in Canada) and visitors will require a private policy throughout their stay. You can explore options for travel insurance for Canada here.

Temporary residents (for example holders of a working holiday visa in Canada) and guests will require a private policy throughout their stay. You can search alternatives for travel insurance for Canada here.

8.     Driving licenses

Most of the tests or assessments you have finished in your nation of origin may not be substantial in Canada, or require desk work so as to be changed over.

Driving licenses are a minefield for two reasons.

Firstly, licenses are granted by the provinces, not the government, and individual regions have their own rules and testing methodology.

Also, various nations around the globe have specific concurrences with the provinces.  

Know the guidelines for international license-holders in your picked province or territory and guarantee you accumulate the right documentation before you show up in Canada.

9.     Taxation

Under Canada’s decentralized government system, charges are collected at various levels. Annual assessments are gathered by both the federal and provincial governments.

Contingent upon your status and terms of employment, you might be qualified for a tax refund toward the finish of the financial year.

Sales taxes change between the territories, from 5% in Alberta to 14.975% in Quebec. These are included at the retail location, not on the sticker price, so know that a product promoted as $10 will cost you more when you pay for it.

10.The Charter of Rights and Freedoms

When moving to Canada, it is critical to recognize what rights you have on arrival and all through your stay.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures certain political rights to Canadian residents and social equality to everybody in the nation, from the arrangements and activities everything being equal and levels of government. In doing as such, the Charter shapes the bedrock of Canadian political, common and social society, and diagrams the sort of welcome to Canada newcomers can anticipate.

You’ve received your welcome to Canada Immigration. What next? Ensure you stay up with the latest with most recent migration advancements, since changes happen consistently that can influence your turn.

[scottedwardfowler]

Hey guys! In this post I’m to talk about the top three websites I’ve personally use to get work as a freelance video editor. If you’re just starting out, and you’re part time or on a budget, I’ve got a few places you can check out that won’t break the bank.

This post is a response to a question that I got on my last video, “How to Get Started Editing In Premiere.” Which you can find on my youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhj-GmQTgjs&t=1s

The question came from Izabela who asked, “Id love a video about getting started on becoming a freelance editor. What are the best freelancing websites to apply for jobs, tips, and suggestions for anybody who’s starting out. Thank you so much, great video!” 

I think that’s a really good one to ask, a lot of people (including myself) when they’re first starting out struggle with how and where do we find work.

There’s actually tons of freelancing sites online that you can search for and try out. So here’s a couple of Honorable mentions:

Guru & Freelancer - Best suited for beginner freelancers on a budget

There’s a Low cost to get started and bid on jobs, with a decent amount of various editing jobs available. I haven’t used them as much, because when I was first starting out, I signed up for a bunch of freelancing websites, and I ended up having more luck landing gigs with these other sites first, so the first one is

Fiverr - is a website that’s normally Best for one time, or short term gigs. It has it’s advantages of being easy to sign up and start using, because Unlike other freelance sites, you Don’t have to bid for clients. After some time, and you’re established, Fiverr pushes clients to you by listing your profile near the top of searches. And Fiverr makes tipping very easy, so you can make extra money on top of what you earned for the gig.

However the cons are that Fiverr takes a 20% Commission, and Most gigs are low pay. So that 20 percent really eats into your profits. You get to set your rates, and what kind of editing jobs you can offer and what the turn around time would be. However, there’s a strict policy on no contact outside of Fiverr, so you can’t make a deal with a client outside of the platform and cut Fiverr out of their commission. 

Now we come to UpWork, which is the site I’ve had the most success with. It’s the Most popular freelance site, and offers high quality gigs, as well as not so high quality. It sort of ranges all over the place. But once you’ve been on the platform long enough, you can sort of get an idea of what great job postings are before you even bid on them. I like to think of Upwork as a long term lead genitor, because I have several clients I met years ago who I still work with today. And it all started with one project. It can be difficult to get that first client however, because it is very competitive but once you do, it gets much easier to land future clients. 

You also have the the Flexibility of what kind of projects you can do, such as getting paid hourly vs project based. The negatives of UpWork are that it’s kind of Expensive to get started, you can sign up for free, but in order to bid on any jobs it costs 15 cents per credit. And most jobs postings range from 4-6 credits. So if you were to bid on a ton of jobs, that 15 cents starts to add up. Also, Upwork has a complex Commission rate, I’m not going to go too deep into it but essentially it’s 20% for first 500 you make per client. And roughly 10 percent after that first 500. And that’s per client, so every time you land a new client, UpWork takes 20 percent of your earnings on the first 500 dollars. 

Also, when it comes to disputes between freelancers and clients, Upwork almost always sides with the clients. So I would recommend doing hourly gigs, because typically hourly gigs tend to be more long term and Upwork has hour tracking features built into the platform that make it easier to prove disputes between yourself and a client over work done. 

This next one may surprise you, I’ve also landed some great clients from Craigslist. The cool thing out craigslist, is that the jobs are local to where you live. So you can meet the client face to face and discuss the job in detail at that point. Meeting in personal and developing relationships, really drives what the ultimate goal is which is to create long term client relationships. Plus, there’s no bidding on gigs, or commission rates getting in the way. You look for gigs on the site, reply to a posting, and hopefully you can connect with some great people. 

Now, on the flip side Craigslist does have a sketchy reputation for being a place where weirdos hang out so you have to be on guard there. Also, there’s no gig protection here so if a client stiffs you after you’ve done the job for them, that’s totally on you. There are things you can do such as ask for half of the project payment upfront, or even a quarter of it to protect some of your costs. But it’s definitely a risk you take. The last negative, is that it’s more of a time commitment to drive out and meet a potential client somewhere. If it doesn’t work out on a place like UpWork or Fiverr, oh well, you never had to leave your house. So those are some things to be aware of.

The thing about freelancing is, not everyone is doing it full time. Some may freelance as a part time- side hustle, others might be doing some every once in awhile as a hobby. And not everyone has the same budget in order to get started freelancing. So I understand that everyone’s situation is different, but I just wanted to list out my top three sites that I’ve personally used to get clients. There’s a lot more information I could deep dive into on each site, and Ill probably do that in future videos, so stay tuned for that, But I think those sites I mentioned are definitely a great place to start, if you’re looking to get into freelance video editing.

Ok so the next part of Izabela's question was about what tips and suggestions I have for getting started with freelancing. I think a great place to start is trying to have an understanding of what it takes to build a business. No one knows what it’s like to build a business when they’re first starting out, so you have to seek out sources and people who do have that information And I know it’s weird, especially when you’re first starting out, to think of yourself as a business. But that’s the reality, you have to go clients and try and sell yourself and your services in order to get jobs. 

So I think a good way of becoming more confident in building your freelancing business is to actively learn as much as you can from different sources. So the fact that you’re here watching my video, is a great thing already. I’m always trying to learn what other people’s strategies are, and how they became successful so that I can pick up a few things here and there to apply to my own business. 

In fact I recently just finished reading a book called “Three Simple Steps”, it’s by  Trevor Blake. And I think it’s a really good book to inspire people who are just starting out freelancing or creating their own business. Ill just quickly read the description blurb from amazon:

“Despite stock market crashes, dot-com busts, and the specter of recession, the author started a virtual company from home, using a few thousand dollars of his savings. A few years later, without ever hiring an employee or leaving his home office, he sold it for more than $100 million. As the economy slipped into another free fall, he did this again with a company in a different field. He accomplished this through no particular genius. Rather, he studied the habits of the many successful men and women who preceded him, and developed three simple rules that, if followed diligently, virtually ensure success. Using them first to escape poverty, then to achieve a life of adventures, he finally turned them toward financial independence...

Written in a straightforward and no-nonsense style, Three Simple Steps shows you how to take back control of your destiny and reshape your mind for increased creativity, serenity and achievement. While building on the wisdom of great thinkers and accomplished individuals from East and West, Three Simple Steps isn't a new age text or guide to esoteric fulfillment. Rather, it's a practical guide to real-life achievement by a pragmatic businessman who attributes his incredible successes to these very simple ideas. Three Simple Steps, a 2013 Small Business Book Awards winner, is a must-read guide for everyone who wants to achieve more, live better and be happier.”

The three simple steps in case you were wondering is, number one is to spend more time thinking positively about the things you do want, rather than thinking about the things you don’t want. For example, in our case as freelancers, no one likes having to bid for jobs or chase down clients, you could reframe that as the more jobs I bid for the better practice Ill have at understanding what clients want.

Second, spend 20 minutes a day (preferably in the morning) in quiet time by yourself so you can clear your mind and from that, creativity and inspiration for your business can spring from it. 

Third, the author talks about setting intentions rather than goals. The difference as the author describes it, as an intention is a goal but with the doubt of it’s attainment removed. So as freelancers, a goal might be I hope to make enough money this year to quit my regular job. An intention is, I know will make enough money this year to quit my regular job. You have to set your mindset to that intention everyday. Which is hard, but in the end that’s what will make it rewarding. 

I would highly recommend this book, I found it be really insightful about starting and growing a business from the ground up. But I will say, the first couple of chapters were kind of slow because they were mostly about the author's life journey, which did tie into the rest of the book in the later chapters. But it gets into some really great stuff after the first few chapters. 

So if you’re interested in that book, I’ll leave a link below that you can check out. And that about does it for today’s video, let me know in the comments below what freelancing sites you guys use or prefer the most? I’d love to get a comment thread going, so we can all help each other out on where and how to get jobs as freelancers.  Three Simple Steps (Book): Amazon - https://amzn.to/3bS5uao (affiliate)

[oliverphisher]

Richard Newsome on always keeping your clothes on and much more

Richard Newsome is the author of the Archer Legacy; The Billionaire's Curse, The Emerald Casket and The Mask of Destiny.

In researching the trilogy, Richard traveled to England, India, France, Italy, and Greece, visiting many of the historical sites featured in the books. Richard Newsome’s debut novel, The Billionaire's Curse received rave reviews and has been sold to publishers in the US, Canada, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Richard was born in a modest-sized town in the north island of New Zealand, a little place called Wanganui on a great roiling river, his family migrated to Queensland’s Gold Coast, Australia when he was two and a half.

After finishing high school Richard deferred going to university to take up a journalism cadetship on the local newspaper, the Gold Coast Bulletin. After seven years working on various newspapers and with ABC TV and radio, Richard went to university to study economics. After graduating with first class honours he secured a job in Boston in the United States with an international strategy firm.After which Richard returned to Australia and moved to Sydney, where he moved into media, by then he was married and had started a family. In an attempt to bore his children to sleep at night, he started making up a story, which would eventually provide the basis for his Billionaire’s series of books. Richard now lives in Brisbane with his wife and three children.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

There are many but one that stands out was written by William Peter Blatty, the author or The Exorcist.

The books is Which Way to Mecca, Jack? — it’s a memoir of the author growing up Lebanese in New York, and then moving to Beirut as a US Government information officer. It’s an insider’s outsider account of life in a familiar yet foreign land. I picked it up in the second-hand book shop around the corner from where my dad worked because the cover intrigued me.

It cost maybe 40 cents but it opened my then 12-year-old’s eyes to a large and complex world, well beyond the Gold Coast of the 1970s where I grew up. I’m sure most of the material flew straight over my innocent head, but the author had a turn of phrase that I found intriguing. It was my first experience of ‘grown up’ books.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

A new Spirax A4 Notebook No. 810 ($5.49 from Officeworks). It was for my next book. I hand write the first draft of all my books, and this is my go-to notebook. The paper is just right for writing in pencil (HB 0.7mm Pentel leads for my mechanical pencil, a Lamy Scribble 0.7mm). Scratch any writer and you’ll find a frustrated stationer.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

I have a miserably poor attention span for any activity that does not completely entrance me within the first 30 seconds. This has ruled out several attempts at serious business, which is typified by countless hours of donkey work to actually get anything done. Luckily, this psychological tendency towards mind-wandering is ideal for story writing. If I get bored I just have to make the story more interesting. Works for me, works for the reader.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

I was bemoaning the sales figures for one of my books to a friend and the woeful lot of the author when his young daughter piped up with, ‘Just write better.’ That is my new life motto.

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

My Lamy Scribble 0.7mm mechanical pencil. I bought it in New Zealand about 15 years ago and have written about 700,000 words with it.

Best $75 I’ve ever spent.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I’m not sure it’s an unusual habit, but I like to get up at 5.30am and sit on the back deck with the first coffee of the morning and listen to the birds greet the sun while I gather my thoughts for the day ahead. Solitary time is the best time.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

The knowledge that resting on your laurels only leads to soreness and blood clots. It’s important to press on to new and interesting challenges.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

The best advice I ever received as a beginning writer was, ‘Write it out.’ Finish the manuscript. You can plan until the end of time, but unless you actually complete the thing it doesn't count a damn.

What are bad recommendations for aspiring authors, that you hear in your often?

‘Write what you know’. How boring is that! Find out new and interesting stuff and write about that.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

I seldom say no to anything. I’m terminally polite.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Always keep you clothes on.

What new realizations and/or approaches helped you achieve your goals?

That time is going to pass anyway. Life’s clock ticks on whatever you choose to do, so you may as well choose to get stuff done. Is there any more pathetic line in movie history that ‘I coulda been a contender’ from On The Waterfront? Don't be that guy.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

A cup of black Irish breakfast tea (no sugar) and a walk by the river at dusk.

Any other tips?

Once you get published, don’t be an ass.

To find out more about Richard visit his website here

_______

Enjoyed this Q&A? Want to discuss in more depth? Join Community Writers. You'll get access to 100+ exclusive writing tips. Q&As with successful authors, an exclusive ebook on building an audience and much more. Sign-up for free as a community writer here