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Very hard working one legged Chinese construction worker

Saving mother earth with Abebe’s brushing of ‘Quo Vadis?’

A painting from Dawit Abebe’s Quo Vadis?

Remember Ethiopian artist, Dawit Abebe? His work was among the stunning pieces at Art Dubai 2017 Contemporary space.


The same Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery that showed Abebe at Art Dubai last month will be exhibiting the artist’s works again. This time, under the theme Quo Vadis?, from May 6-8, 2017 for private viewing, while the show continues till June 3, 2017 at Hjellegjerde Gallery, west London.


The exhibition, which is Abebe’s third solo show at the same gallery, probes man’s spiritual virility against the forces of nature. Adapting the Latin phrase Quo Vadis ‘(where are you going?), Abebe interprets contemporary concerns of the environment, specifically, the conflict of interest betweent high-tech infested urbanisation and natural habitation, perhaps as well as dwindling resources that may not be enough to sustain management of damaged environment. These are the pedestals on which Abebe is thematically asking: Quo Vadis?



Among the works viewed via soft copies – received from Hjellegjerde Gallery – are those that continue Abebe’s collage portraiture of using back view of his subject to create suspense and dialogue. And seemingly of surreal flavour, Abebe in this exhibition sprinkles insects on the canvas in competitive space with human flesh. Sometimes the insects are depicted as deadly. As quite dramatic as some of the paintings are, the narrative of an environment that is struggling and competing for survival with its inhabitants is also thoughtful.


Yes, graphics, the paintings are: Abebe’s rendition of environmental pillage, though goes as far as depiction of insects perching on flesh, but the artist’s vibrant brushing of acrylic on canvas provides an energy of aesthetics, even in a tragic narrative. In two series of bare back or torso and laced long jacket, the Quo Vadis?’ paintings confirm an emerging generation of African artists with great depth of skill in visual expressionism.


Born in 1978, and graduated from the Alle School of Fine Art and Design, at Addis Ababa University with a diploma, Abebe is an artist whose brush strokes empathise with mother earth and speaks volume about gross insensitiity of policy makers in most urban cities, particularly of African countries. “My current work is about the destruction and extinction of living organisms (whether small or big) in the name of modern life, peace and prosperity,” explains Abebe. “Quo Vadis? is, above all, about a loss of equilibrium, deriving from sterilising and at the same time polluting mother earth.” He argues that “Man creates his own tragedy by systematically divorcing himself from nature.”


In its statement, the gallery notes that “These works continue Abebe’s signature use of layering old school exercise books beneath acrylic paint to create a textured background.


Excerpts from gallery statement: “Hjellegjerde Gallery showcases cutting-edge contemporary art from emerging and established international artists, with the central concern being to create an intimate space in which artists can present a coherent body of work within a focused environment.


Drawing on her own international background, Kristin Hjellegjerde seeks to discover and develop new talents by creating a platform through which they can be introduced to local and international audiences and by allowing for artistic exchange. Kristin Hjellegjerde also acts as an art advisor for both emerging private and corporate collectors.

Celebration and protest as Indonesian leader visits Hong Kong

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (centre L) meets workers from Indonesia at an event during his visit to Hong Kong on April 30, 2017. Anthony WALLACE / AFP

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was greeted by a mixture of celebration and protest in Hong Kong Sunday with calls to improve working conditions for the city’s army of foreign maids.


There are around 170,000 Indonesians living in Hong Kong, many of them employed as domestic helpers, and concern over exploitation is growing after a string of abuse cases.


In a rock concert atmosphere Widodo was greeted by exuberant music and dance shows, including some performances by helpers themselves, at the city’s Asia World Expo Sunday.



The more than 5,000-strong crowd were mainly women working as maids who said they were excited to see the leader — but also called on him to help them.


“I hope the president can make our workplace safe,” one domestic helper named Miasih told AFP, saying her employer breaches her contract by making her work in two apartments.


“It’s the attitude — she doesn’t have a lot of respect for me,” she added.


Some protesters gathered outside and others marched to the Indonesian consulate, calling for better migrant rights.


Widodo, who is on a two-day visit that will include meeting the city’s business leaders, did not address the issue in his speech to the helpers, which instead praised Indonesia’s economy, infrastructure and diversity.


“Don’t let small things cause friction, clashes, division,” he said.


Demonstrators criticised him for failing to address working conditions.


“We are already isolated because of the way we work and where we are, but the government, even when they’re in front of us, does not think our voices are important,” said former domestic worker Eni Lestari, now chairwoman of the International Migrants Alliance.


She said activists had been unable to submit petitions or meet with Widodo.


There are more than 300,000 domestic helpers in Hong Kong, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia.


Their plight made world headlines in 2014 with the case of Indonesian helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was beaten and starved by her employer Law Wan-tung.


Law was jailed in February 2015 for six years.


However, activists say even that case has not led to concrete long-term changes.


A report last year by the Justice Centre found that one in six foreign maids in Hong Kong fell into the “forced labour” category.


It defined forced labour as employment for which the worker had not been recruited freely, was not doing the job freely, or could not walk away from work.


Rights groups say unscrupulous employment agencies put helpers into debt and withhold their passports, and local restrictions such as requiring them to live with their employers make it difficult to control hours or escape abuse.


Last September hundreds of maids marched through Hong Kong after several helpers fell to their deaths as they tried to clean tower block windows.

Italy’s Renzi likely to win Democratic Party election

Former Italian Matteo Renzi addresses the press while campaigning for the Italian Democratic Party leadership, in Brussels on April 28,2017. Renzi decided to finish his campaign for the leadership of the Italian Democratic Party in Brussels to demonstrate his commitment towards the European Union. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP

Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi was Sunday poised to win the leadership of Italy’s ruling Democratic Party (PD) in a primary election, propelling him back to the forefront of the national political scene.


Renzi, 42, resigned as prime minister in December after Italians overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional referendum.


A centrepiece of his political platform, the reform had aimed to streamline Italy’s parliamentary system.



In the aftermath of the December vote defeat and facing a rebellion from the left wing of his centre-left party, Renzi in February stepped down as party leader with the aim of regaining legitimacy in a future vote.


On Sunday he was up against two candidates considered further to the left: Justice Minister Andrea Orlando and Michele Emiliano, who heads the southern Puglia region.


An internal vote conducted by the party earlier this month suggested a clear Renzi victory after he scored 66.7 percent, with 25.3 percent for Orlando and eight percent for Emiliano.


When he first took over the leadership in December 2013, Renzi won the backing of close on 68 percent of 2.8 million voters.


Similar figures would underpin the winner’s legitimacy –but Emiliano warned the election will be a flop if less people vote this time, while Orlando said that less than two million cast ballots would signal a failure.


Renzi set the bar much lower — at one million.


Voting booths, mainly stands on the streets, opened at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) and were to close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT).


The vote was open to all Italians over 16 years old, EU citizens residing in Italy and non-EU foreigners with valid residency permits — on condition of paying a donation of at least two euros.


– Crowning of Renzi –
Lorenzo De Sio, a professor of political sociology at the Luiss University in Rome said the turnout would be crucial in determining Renzi’s legitimacy.


“Rather than a competition, we’re looking at a process of legitimisation, a sort of crowning of Renzi as leader of the PD. We can expect a huge Renzi victory but with weak voter turnout. People on the left do not seem to be mobilised,” he says.


“If participation rates are around a million people or less, Renzi’s legitimisation won’t be strong, if it is between 1.5 and two million, he will wind up in a stronger position,” he adds.


The winner of the vote will lead the party during legislative elections slated for spring 2018 unless parliamentarians come to an agreement on electoral reform before then and call for early elections.


During the only televised debate between Renzi and his two competitors, the former prime minister said he would do “everything to bring back energy, momentum and vigour to the country”, and railed against “stagnation that seems to be blocking political and institutional life” since the referendum.


In addition to the contrasting styles, with Orlando and Emiliano generally more reserved than the exuberant Renzi, the debate laid bare key differences over national politics.


Renzi disagrees with his two challengers on a wealth tax, which he opposes.


If the spring election outcome requires the formation of a coalition following the legislative elections, Orlando and Emiliano have said they would seek to govern with left wing defectors or other parties on the left.


Renzi, meanwhile, has not ruled out forming an alliance with centre-right leader and former premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Persian satellite TV channel owner ‘shot dead in Istanbul’

Said Karimian, the owner of the GEM TV Group and a British citizen of Iranian origin, was gunned down late Saturday along with a Kuwaiti business partner in the upscale Maslak district of Istanbul.

The owner of a leading Persian-language satellite entertainment channel was shot dead by unknown individuals in Istanbul along with another man, Turkish media reports said Sunday.


Said Karimian, the owner of the GEM TV Group and a British citizen of Iranian origin, was gunned down late Saturday along with a Kuwaiti business partner in the upscale Maslak district of Istanbul, the Hurriyet newspaper said.


Initial reports on Saturday had said two Iranians had been killed, without giving the identities.



In a statement on its Facebook page, GEM TV confirmed that Karimian had died but without making clear the circumstances of the death.

 

 “With great sorrow and regret we announce the death of Said Karimian,” it said, describing him as a “great man who with a pure and kind spirit spent his life with honesty and sincerity for dignity of Iran”.


Kuwait’s state-run KUNA news agency quoted the Kuwaiti consul general in Istanbul as saying that a Kuwaiti citizen was shot and killed in Istanbul late Saturday.


Dogan said that the two men were shot dead while driving in the Maslak area by individuals in another vehicle who blocked the path of their car, got out, and gunned them down.


The assailants got away in their vehicle which was then found burned out in the Istanbul district of Kemerburgaz. Police are still trying to find them, Dogan said.


Based in Dubai, GEM-TV offers Western programmes to Persian-speaking audiences that are not available in the Islamic Republic including US game shows and Turkish soaps.


It is regarded with disdain by Tehran which sees such satellite channels as trying to culturally infiltrate the population and Westernise their lifestyle.


The group has been on a large expansion offensive, recently adding several new channels and recruiting Iranian artists and staff from inside and abroad.


Conservative Iranian media reports meanwhile said Karimian was linked in the past to The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (PMOI), an exiled opposition group which Tehran sees as a criminal network aiming to bring down the Iranian government.


The judiciary’s Mizanonline agency said Karimian had gone to the PMOI’s Ashraf base inside Iraq at the end of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.


The conservative Fars news agency alleged Karimian had spent eight years at Ashraf before going to Switzerland in 1996.

Increase your SEO in 2 easy steps with optimized images

SEO. It’s probably most frustrating, confusing, and downright annoying thing anyone who owns a website has come across. Due to the ever changing nature of algorithms and the seemingly endless number of factors that go into SEO, I know it’s just not for me to learn it all. That said, I do have a nifty set of tricks that has increased my traffic – both of which are applied directly to my images!


I do these two steps for EVERY. SINGLE. IMAGE. These super basic, outrageously easy, and not-too-techy tricks have increased my organic search traffic almost 1000%. Oh, and step number 2 will also help optimize your Pinterest images as well.


So let’s take a little time to optimize those images of yours for SEO, increase your organic traffic, and get a stellar Pinterest foundation laid out!

 

Name Your Images

No kidding. This is probably the easiest thing you can do to dramatically increase your SEO. Naming your images with the proper keywords will make sure people can find them. If you have a beautiful graphic created and you upload it with the name “IMG_1247”, how will Google or any search engine recognize that it’s really a detailed layout of file formats? Or that it’s the most recent floral centerpiece you’ve designed? Or perhaps a recipe that you’ve just finished creating?

The fact is, Google can’t see images. Okay… well maybe that’s not entirely true, but we’re years away from that technology being useful or applied in areas such as SEO. In the meantime, why not tell Google exactly what it’s seeing so that you can rank higher? If you name your image with the correct keywords, search engines will know where to put it. For example “orange-pistachio-macaron-pancakes.jpg” is a bit more obvious than “IMG_8734” and will bring in people searching for any of those 4 keywords. Don’t feel that you need to be limited to just 4 words either. I create some pretty long file names myself and it’s worked out quite well. The key is to simply be accurate with your descriptions so that you’re getting quality visitors who stay on your site (this increases your SEO too!).

You may be wondering about whether you should use hyphens in your file names. Definitely! The search engine can’t tell that orangepistachiomacaronpancakes.jpg is actually 4 words, so a hyphen will let it know exactly what you mean.

Use Your Alt Attributes

I would actually say that this part is definitely more important than simply naming your images. I’ve noticed that the few images I didn’t have time to change the names on still do pretty well as long as I have strong Alt attributes.


Alt attributes are a full description of your image, and are used by those who have images turned off in their browsers or use a screen reader (similar to a text to speech program, for example). Search engines see these and not only can read them, but also help make your site friendly to those types of readers – bonus! Alt attributes simply need to be a sentence or small paragraph describing your image. You don’t need to use hyphens either.


When you’re adding an image to WordPress or Blogger, they both allow you to add alt tags to the image upload form. If you’re a bit more adventurous and want to hand code it, simply add alt=”” to your image tag.

What about Pinterest?

Well here’s the nifty little thing. When you fill out your alt attribute, you’re also creating the default description of your pin! Pinterest naturally pulls the alt attribute and fills in the default description in their pin box. So when you create your description, make sure it’s a strong one that holds your keywords and doesn’t sound spammy.

Don’t expect overnight results!

As with everything SEO, don’t expect your results to happen overnight. Just be sure to stay consistent, and use strong keywords that accurately reflect your images and you’ll notice increased results soon.

8 Plugins You Should Have Before You Launch Your Website

The goal, when using plugins, is to use as less as possible. Whenever you activate one, you want it to be absolutely essential, because otherwise it’ll slow down your website for nothing. Only download a plugin when you know you can’t do what it does on your own.


And there are quite a bit of things that are done way more efficiently with plugins! So let me introduce you to my favorite ones!

1. Yoast SEO

Of all the SEO plugins out there, Yoast is the one you want to be installed on your website. It won’t guarantee you that you’ll show up on the front page of Google for every one of your posts, but it will definitely take you a step closer if you use it properly.

2. All in One WP Security

There are quite a few security plugins to choose from, but I found All in One WP Security to do a lot for its price (free!). If you’re having problems with people trying to get into your website, you can ban their IP addresses or simply add a captcha to your login page. Or the easiest method in my opinion: change the URL of your login page for /wp-admin to something else only you knows! There are a lot of settings to choose from, but read carefully and you’ll have a super secure website!

3. WP Fastest Cache

If you don’t want to make all your visitors wait ten years before they can see your website, then you need a caching plugin. WP Fastest Cache is a powerful one that will do everything you need it too! It’s the one plugin I’ve had the most compatibility issues with, so make sure, after you activate it and set it up, that your website looks fine.

4. WP Smush

If you run a photo-heavy website, WP Smush will save your life! After you upload your pictures, WP Smush will try to reduce the file size as much as possible, so it loads quickly for your readers. It’s a great plugin if you’re trying to get a better score in Google Speed! (And trust me, those few KB it saves make a big difference when the internet connection of your reader is bad! I know, most of the time my connection is awful!)

5. BJ Lazy Load

If you haven’t heard of Lazy Loading before, it’s time to change that! After reducing the size of your files with WP Smush, the other thing you can do to help your website’s speed is to use lazy load. What is does basically is wait until the reader scrolls to your picture to load it. That way, it doesn’t have to load the thousand pictures you have in your post before the user can start reading! Awesome, isn’t it? And even if you blog or website isn’t picture-heavy, I’d get this plugin anyway!

6. UpdraftPlus – Backup/Restore

Your host is probably running a backup of your website, but just in case, I’d recommend installing a backup plugin. After all, you never know what might happen! And this way, you can rely on yourself and not your host! I synched mine to my Google Drive account and keep 2-3 backups at all time. I do one every day, because you never know…

7. WP Optimize

If you want to keep your website as fast as possible, it’s great to clean up your database once in a while! And WP Optimize can do it automatically for it! It will clear up your spam comments or old blog post revisions that you don’t need anymore. This way, you won’t have unnecessary stuff in your database and will be able to keep it as small as possible.

8. Simple Share Buttons Adder

Finding a sharing plugin that doesn’t slow down your website considerably is hard. Forget about Shareaholic and SumoMe, those are bad for your website’s speed. Simple Share Buttons Adder is a lightweight plugin that doesn’t come with a lot of useless features. It does the job it’s asked to do, that’s all!

Source:  https://citygirlsdesign.com/wordpress/8-plugins-you-should-have-before-you-launch-your-website/

Blogging Basics: The Best Types of Posts to Have on Your New Blog

You keep asking yourself the same question over and over again –


Why isn’t anyone coming to my blog and sharing my content?


You may be thinking that being a mommy blogger just isn’t your thing anymore. And you know what? Most mom blogs fail anyways.


I know, that totally sucks. And you want to know the reason why?


It’s because no one knows your mom blog exists!


My new blog generates over 20,000 pageviews a month, and it’s only four months old. This isn’t crazy high, but compared to my other personal blog that I’ve been blogging on for almost two years with around 10,000 pageviews, it’s dang amazing.


Starting TwinsMommy made me realize there’s a recipe to growing your blog.
You need:

• A big heaping of irresistible content for your audience to devour
• One cup of traffic
• A healthy pinch of a promotional strategy
• Three teaspoons of a monetization strategy

That’s it. If you have those in place, your blog will grow. It might take years or months, but if you follow that recipe, your going to have a successful blog.


But, wait? Do you have a blog?

So, let’s tackle the very first ingredient – irresistible content. I already talked about some of this in my other Blogging Basics post. For this post, we are specifically going to tackle the types of posts you need to have on your new blog.

Why Every New Blogger Needs to Have These Types of Blog Posts

Before you started your blog, did you ask yourself why you wanted to blog in the first place?


Was it because you wanted to meet and network with other mama bloggers in your niche?


Was it because you wanted to earn some side income as a stay-at-home mom?


Maybe it was because you just wanted to write about your passions.


Now, if you want to really make your blog a success and actually earn an income from blogging, there’s something your blog has to do.


Your blog has to help others with some sort of transition.
What the heck does this mean? It means that your blog shouldn’t only inspire your readers; it should educate and inform people. And by doing this, you are actually helping them transition into something better.


For example, Twins Mommy helps moms become mompreneurs. My posts are helping you grow your blog’s traffic, income and followers so that you can achieve that mompreneur status.
And you can do that with specific blog posts.


Yes, you! If you’re a new blogger you need to start churning out these specific types of posts right away. Here are the 10 essential types of blog posts you should have on your new blog like yesterday.

1. The Round Up Post

40 Comments | 2.2k Shares

Round up posts are amazing for traffic, comments and shares. A round up is basically a list of items, people, ideas, strategies, tips etc.. all bundled up in a great blog post.


The bigger the round up, the better it will do on social media for sharing and commenting. My post on 12 Mama Bosses Tell You How They Monetize Their Blog is a post that tells other mom bloggers how to monetize their blog.


I have several other round up posts on Twins Mommy that have all done well. In fact, the month that I decided to actually grow my blog was the month where I wrote three round ups, which totally helped me grow my blog.

2. The List Post

 
45 Comments | 944 Shares

List posts are super popular on social media. And yes, round ups and resource posts are also list posts. When you can give people a lot of tips in one giant blog post, it saves them time, which becomes highly valuable for moms and other bloggers who don’t have much time to start out with.


My post on 26 Ways to Supercharge Your Productivity as a Mommy Blogger is my longest post on this blog. It’s over 4k words! Yikes. Even if it might take a few minutes to read, visitors aren’t bouncing away from this blog post.


They are using their precious time to read this highly valuable post. So, doing a list post can totally help hook your readers into reading every post on your blog.

3. The Secrets Post

 
10 Comments | 968 Shares

Having a secrets post can do awesome on social media. While my post on The Secret To Make Your Sales Page Convert Like a Boss didn’t do too well with comments, it’s still one of my popular posts on the blog.


Why? Because people like gossip! If you can offer readers some tried and true tips that you keep under wraps, your post will be that more valuable to them.


This type of post also makes for a great headline too! Any headline on Pinterest with, “secret,” “one thing” or “this way” always gets me!

4. An Opinion Post

 
40 Comments | 1.1k Shares

I know, my post on Why Every Blogger Needs a Gravatar (And How to Set One Up) isn’t entirely an opinion piece, but posts where you can adamantly make a claim or suggest a strategy often kicks ass online.


People want to know why you believe in that topic or why they should listen to you. If you can make your post provide convincing copy, then those visitors will be hooked on your blog and what you have to say!


It’s an easy way to grow a tribe of followers because they like YOU and YOUR opinions.

5. How To Posts

 
18 Comments | 3.2k Shares

I don’t know about you, but I’m drawn to How-To headlines. You know why? Because it’s perceived as highly valuable. You’re learning something new.


If you’re struggling with something and suddenly you find a post that tells you how to fix it, wouldn’t you read it?


How-to posts are by far the most popular type of posts you can have on your blog. So go ahead, and exploit this blog post type.

6. Traffic and Income Reports

 
60 Comments | 1k Shares

One thing I did new on this blog versus my other blog is share my blog growth strategy. Sharing your blog growth and income report is popular with a lot of bloggers like Pat Flynn or Pinch of Yum for example.


Readers want to see how you’re building your blogging empire. They also want to see if you fail too. People want to learn from you and if you can share your successes as well as your challenges and failures, you’ll forever have a strong and loyal group of people following you.

7. Tools Post

6 Comments | 2.9k Shares
 
I wrote this post before I started growing my blog. My first few blog posts also were targeting a different audience – work-at-home moms (my brand also wasn’t sorted out either).


This post was the first that hit 100 pins on my site.
I was ecstatic.

*Happy dance*

People L-O-V-E tools posts. And bloggers know this. They have tools posts on their blog or they use this as one of their lead magnets.

It’s probably so popular because you can add your affiliate links to these posts. Of course, when I wrote this post, I didn’t know that. But I do now.

8. A Blog Series

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Two months into this new blog and I was already feeling a bit overwhelmed.


See, I also have a freelance writing blog where I write weekly blog posts as well as write blog posts for my freelance writing clients.


On top of this, I was also writing content upgrades for this blog and two newsletters a week.
I was up to my eyebrows in content and I was slowly getting burnt out.


So, instead of not writing on any of my blogs, I decided to do a blog series. Doing a series is awesome because it sort of gives you automatic content to write about. You just break it up into little blog posts.


This blog post is part of my Blogging Basics series.


But you can do any series you want depending on your niche. For example, if you have a lifestyle blog you can do a blog series on turning your clothes in your closet into a capsule wardrobe. If you have a DIY blog, you can run a blogging series on creating DIY furniture for each room of the house.
The list could go on.

9. Offer Unique Tips

57 Comments | 334 Shares

You know how to generate hundreds of comments? Offer a unique tip. I have two blog posts that fit this bill and together they have generated almost 200 comments.


I know!

People crave new and unique tips and strategies. We all read the same dribble every day so when visitors find your post that actually tells them something they’ve never heard about you start to get comments like this:



People value your tips if it’s easy and helpful.


So, if you are doing something unique with your blogging, WordPress, Squarespace, Pinterest strategy or anything that would help out your target audience, let them know about it!

 10. Resource Post

37 Comments | 632 Shares

It’s always a good thing to give back to your readers. I always love to feature other bloggers on my blog. You know why?


Because when you feature someone and their blog, they are more likely to share your post and comment on your post.


Networking should be part of your promotional strategy because without networking you’ll have a hard time trying to grow your blog.


So start visiting other bloggers in your niche and start linking to their posts and even feature them in a resource post. A resource post is a list of curated content. My Epic List of Blogs Mompreneurs Should Devour Right Now is a resource list of the best blogs your should read.


It will be updated as I learn about more blogs that I feel would help out my target audience.

Source:  https://twinsmommy.com/best-types-of-posts-your-new-blog/
Source

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simply delicious chocolates cake 

15 No-Bake Cookie Recipes 

Apple halts license payments to Qualcomm in ‘all-out war’

Apple Inc. cut off billions of dollars in payments to Qualcomm Inc., turning a contract dispute into what one analyst called an “all-out war” that forced the chip supplier to slash forecasts given only days ago.


The world’s largest publicly-traded technology company and one of the main suppliers of components to the iPhone, its most important product, have traded accusations of lying, making threats and trying to create an illegal monopoly. The fight involves billions of dollars of technology licensing revenue that, if permanently cut off or reduced, would damage Qualcomm’s main source of profit and help bolster Apple’s margins.


Apple told Qualcomm it will stop paying licensing revenue to contract manufacturers of the iPhone, the mechanism by which it’s paid the chipmaker since the best-selling smartphone debuted in 2007, the San Diego, California-based company said in a statement. Qualcomm removed any assumption it will get those fees from its forecast for the current period. Apple doesn’t have a direct license with Qualcomm, unlike other phone makers.



“We’ve been trying to reach a licensing agreement with Qualcomm for more than five years but they have refused to negotiate fair terms,” Apple said in a statement. “Without an agreed-upon rate to determine how much is owed, we have suspended payments until the correct amount can be determined by the court. As we’ve said before, Qualcomm’s demands are unreasonable and they have been charging higher rates based on our innovation, not their own.”


Qualcomm said revenue in its fiscal third quarter ending June will be $4.8 billion to $5.6 billion, down from last week’s prediction of $5.3 billion to $6.1 billion. It’s also short of the $5.78 billion average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Earnings per share will range between 52 cents and 62 cents, compared with the earlier forecast of 67 cents to 92 cents. Minus certain items, profit per share will be 75 cents to 85 cents.


For Qualcomm, Apple’s move is a further infringement on its legal agreements with the contract makers of the iPhone, who also make devices for other companies. Those agreements predate Apple’s entry into the phone market and are still legally enforceable.


“While Apple has acknowledged that payment is owed for the use of Qualcomm’s valuable intellectual property, it nevertheless continues to interfere with our contracts,” said Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm’s general counsel. “Apple has now unilaterally declared the contract terms unacceptable; the same terms that have applied to iPhones and cellular-enabled iPads for a decade.”


He said Apple’s interference with Qualcomm’s agreements to other parties is wrongful and part of the Cupertino, California-based company’s global attack on Qualcomm.


Stacy Rasgon, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said Qualcomm’s largest customer has declared “all-out war,” leaving a dark cloud over earnings and its stock price.


“Even if one believed this was a worst case scenario, we struggle to see a resolution anytime soon as the parties entrench,” Rasgon wrote in a note to investors Friday. Qualcomm managed expectations around the dispute poorly, he added.


Shares fell as much as 4.1 percent to $51.05 Friday morning. It was the lowest intraday price since June. They were trading at $52.91 at 12:16 p.m. in New York. Apple stock edged 0.2 percent higher to $144.12, close to a record.


Qualcomm’s lucrative licensing division funds an industry-leading research-and-development budget, which has helped its chips stay ahead of rivals. That strategy, which has helped the company more than double revenue since 2010, is under threat as the dispute with Apple worsens and it deals with regulatory investigations in the U.S., South Korea, Taiwan and Europe. It says Apple instigated those investigations by making false claims to government agencies. Apple’s end goal is to lower the fees, Qualcomm said.


When it began it’s suit against Qualcomm in January, Apple accused Qualcomm of monopolizing the market for chips used in wireless devices and withholding $1 billion in retaliation for cooperating with South Korean antitrust authorities. Apple also said it wants back some of the billions of dollars it claims it was overcharged in “Qualcomm’s illegal scheme” to control the market for mobile phone chips. It wants a court to change how Qualcomm charges for its technology.



Patents controlled by Qualcomm cover the basics of all high-speed data capable mobile phone systems. It charges a percentage of the total selling price of the phone regardless of whether the device uses a Qualcomm chip or not.


Qualcomm had given a wider-than-normal forecast range for the current quarter, reflecting the possibility that Apple may pressure its suppliers, company President Derek Aberle said last week.
“We’d expect that they will pay, consistent with their obligations,” he said at the time. “We can’t completely discount the possibility that Apple will continue to interfere and cause them to pay less than they owe.”

Google, Kaduna government empower 5000 youth with digital internet skills

In a bid to equip youth with requisite skills for business growth and how to become employers of labour in the long run, Google, in collaboration with Kaduna State Government and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has trained no fewer than 5000 persons on digital Internet skills.


Beneficiaries, who stormed the training venues at Zaria, Kafanchan, Kachia, Murtala Square and Ahmadu Bello Stadium, were said to be within 18-35 years age bracket.


Google Lead Trainer, Mr. Luke Ini-Ima, told journalists that the training was part of the government’s youth empowerment programmes, adding; “This training will, therefore, enable the unemployed youths tap from the huge opportunities in the ICT sector.”



Ini-Ima added: “On successful completion of the training, the beneficiaries are expected to create online platforms for the remaining 93 per cent of SMEs in the country. We will teach them all they need to know about online affiliate marketing and how to make cool money online.’’


Also in an interview with journalists at Ahmadu Bello Centre, Director of SDG, Mr. Nuhu Moses, said similar training has been conducted in Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa ahead of Kaduna in the Northwest geo-political zone, adding that similar exercise will be carried out in Kano, Zamfara and Katsina States.


“The training is expected to be an empowerment for every youth. When you build the capacity of some people through training or education, you have empowered them.


When they are taught how to take advantage of the Internet, they can see available opportunities there, which they never knew existed.”On his part, the CEO of Kaduna ICT Hub, Bashir Yusuf, declared: “Kaduna will not remain the same again after the ICT revolution that is set to take the state by storm.”

Eight military personnel die in Cuba plane crash

Russian-made AN-26 transport aircraft crashed in a mountainous region of western Artemisa province, killing all eight on board including the plane’s crew, the Revolutionary Armed Forces ministry said in a statement carried by state media.

A plane crash in western Cuba on Saturday killed eight military personnel, the ministry in charge of the island’s armed forces said.


The Russian-made AN-26 transport aircraft crashed in a mountainous region of western Artemisa province, killing all eight on board including the plane’s crew, the Revolutionary Armed Forces ministry said in a statement carried by state media.


The plane, which can carry up to 40 people, had taken off from Playa Baracoa airport just outside the capital Havana. It crashed into a mountain, Loma de la Pimienta, 35 miles (55 kilometers) distant.
The ministry said it was investigating the causes of the accident.


An official with the authority in charge of the crash site told AFP that the area was cordoned off while the bodies were being recovered.


The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the plane had been making a “military maneuver” when it crashed. The official did not elaborate.

Source:  http://guardian.ng/news/eight-military-personnel-die-in-cuba-plane-crash/

How to Lose Stomach Fat Fast Effectively?

A majority of people suffer from belly fat. While they are able to reduce the fat from all parts of their body, with exercises and diet, the fat from their belly refuses to budge. And, it definitely looks obnoxious when the clothes become tight around the middle, and the buttons don’t fit in properly. Not just the physical aspect, the belly fat is also quite harmful for the body internally, and can lead to diabetes and heart problems. If you are also part of that majority, who is trying to reduce the bulge from the stomach, then learn how to lose stomach fat effectively, over here.

How To Lose Stomach Fat Fast?

1. Include Soluble Fiber in Your Diet

Soluble fiber helps in absorbing the water, which can help in slowing down the food when it goes through the digestive system. So, taking in more of soluble fiber can help in losing weight. Some of the food items, which contain soluble fiber include asparagus, brussels, avocados, flaxseeds, legumes, blackberries, broccoli, blueberries, etc.

2. Avoid Eating Trans-Fats Food

Food items, such as spreads, margarines, etc., have trans-fats, which can lead to heart diseases, inflammation, and belly fat gain. So, while buying food items, check out the ingredients and restrict buying hydrogenated fats products.

How To Lose Belly Fat Fast?

1. Stay Away From Alcohol

Alcohol can seriously cause harm, if taken in excessive quantity. And, one of the side effects of consuming alcohol, is the gain in belly fat. To reduce the size of your waist, you may have to limit the hard drinks that gets settled in your belly.

2. Eat More of Proteins

If you want to know how to lose stomach fat with proteins, then you should know that proteins are known as the body building food, but they can be quite helpful in controlling weight gain also. This is due to the fact that high protein diet can give a feeling of fullness to the person, and raise the metabolism, which can help in retaining the muscle mass while reducing the weight. So, don’t feel shy of eating meat, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, milk, etc.

3. Become Stress-Free

This is easier said than done. But, as per studies, stress can lead to an increase in the belly fat. When a person is under stress, he eats more, which can lead to storing of fat in the abdomen. So, if you are wondering how to lose stomach fat fast, then get rid of stress by doing some exercises, yoga and meditation.

How To Lose Fat On Stomach?

1. Cut Down On Sugar

Sugar is a harmful ingredient, which can lead to chronic diseases, if consumed excessively. It can cause heart diseases, diabetes, fatty liver problems and obesity. So, cut down on your consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices, which are loaded with sugar and calories. Instead, have lemon juice or iced tea. And, go slow on desserts, as well.

2. Exercise Regularly

Cardio exercises can be useful in burning down the calories and in improving the health. So, just push yourselves to doing some intense exercises, so that you remain fit. And, if you don’t feel like exercising, you can take up dancing or some sports activities. Running, swimming, cycling, playing badminton, tennis and other such activities can help you enjoy yourself, while remaining fit, as well. You can also take up weight training, which can help in treating diabetes and loss of fat from stomach.

How To Lose Lower Stomach Fat Fast?

1. Reduce Carb Intake

If you could cut down on the carb intake, you can lose the fat from the abdomen. So, replace the refined carbohydrates with unprocessed carbs, which can improve the metabolism, while reducing the belly fat.

2. Change The Cooking Oil

If you are used to cooking with saturated or monounsaturated oil, such as sunflower oil, etc., you can switch over to Coconut oil. It is healthy, and can also improve the metabolism, while reducing the belly fat. But, like everything else, coconut oil also has calories, so use that in moderation.

3. Include Fatty Fish in Your Diet

Fatty fishes have a good amount of Omega-3 and proteins, which can help in reducing the fat from the belly. So, go ahead and have salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, etc.

4. Sleep Well

With our hectic daily schedules, sleep is the one thing that we end up compromising on. To remain fit and healthy, one should sleep for a minimum of 7 hours every day. People, who sleep less, end up gaining more weight.

5. Monitor Your Food Intake And Exercising Routine

The best way to ensure that you are following your food and exercise regimen is to monitor it regularly.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar is Useful

Apple Cider vinegar can lower the blood sugar, while reducing the stomach fat.

How To Lose All Stomach Fat?

1. Go The Probiotic Way

Probiotic foods are healthy food, as they can improve the immunity and reduce body weight. Food that contain lactobacillus, should be taken. These include yogurt, and other probiotic supplements.

2. Go Green With Green Tea

Green tea is supposed to be the healthiest drink. With caffeine and antioxidants present, the tea can help in boosting metabolism.

3. Change The Way You Live

Changing your lifestyle might effectively improve your physical and mental state. Make a habit of eating healthy food and exercising regularly and practice discipline, so that you remain a healthy person.

Additional Tips on How To Lose Stomach Fat

While there is no magic miracle that will burn down stomach fat in a jiffy, some of these additional tips will enhance your efforts in trying to lose stomach fat.

1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

This may seem surprising and counterproductive, but it is a known fact that eating breakfast within an hour of getting up keeps insulin levels steady and cholesterol levels low.

2. Adequate Sleep

A normal average person requires at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night. Keep away from any stressful activity at least 1 hour before sleep. Research indicates that the stress hormone cortisol is correlated to an increase in abdominal and stomach fat.

3. Switch to Whole Grains Instead of Refined Grains

Whole grains contain high fibre content which makes you feel full for a longer time. A recent study indicated that those who switched to a whole grain diet lost belly and stomach fat faster than those who consumed refined grains. Avoid white grains and processed food

4. Walking

Stay active and resort to walking distances you can easily manage. Walk to work if nearby, walk to a grocery store, or a park. Take the stairs instead of elevators and consider taking short walks between your breaks. If you have a sedentary job consider getting a treadmill desk for yourself.


These were some of the stomach fat burning tips, which you can implement in your life for losing the belly fat. These are quite easy to follow, and can easily be incorporated in your lifestyle. You don’t have to starve for food, neither do you have to push yourselves completely. A moderate and disciplined lifestyle will help you in getting rid of the belly fat. Now that you know how to lose stomach fat, just pay some attention to what you eat and how you eat, and you would be able to fit into all your older dresses. Stay fit and stay healthy!

Source:  https://stylenrich.com/lose-stomach-fat-fast/

Amazing Facts About Calcium Boosters For Our Body!

We have been advised to drink milk since our childhood along with a piece of advice, “Milk is full of calcium and protein. It gives strength to your bones, hair and makes your skin glowing.” According to this suggestion, we keep on increasing intake of milk and milk-based products. Certain medical research has proved that milk adds unnecessary weight to our body. Milk contains a certain ingredient that cannot be absorbed easily into the body. So, we have brought some of the essential calcium boosters for your body. These are for the people who-

• Do not like milk or milk products.
• Believe in the research that milk will add extra weight to their bodies.
• Looking out for calcium apart from dairy products.

Let us understand the basic concept of cows’ milk. If milk given by cows is fortified with higher quantities of calcium, where do they get it from? Cows receive their calcium from grass. Grass is loaded with magnesium and chlorophyll. Now, it is not possible to eat grass for us. But we have various substitutes that will offer our body with necessary strength and vigour.

Foods That Reduce Calcium From Our Body

Before we move ahead towards sources of calcium, we also need to know which elements reduce calcium from our body. People feel that as they are not consuming calcium-rich foods, they are suffering from deficiency of calcium. However, this is not the only truth. People are feeding on calcium cutters that straightaway iron out the calcium content in their bodies.

1. Consumption of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs

These are the main harmful products that deplete the calcium out of our bodies. Even though you are exercising and eating sufficient quantities of calcium, you need to stay away from these products.


Artificial beverages such as colas affect the calcium content in our body adversely. These beverages are empty calories. They not only strip off the calcium from your bodies but also ad unnecessary weight.

2. Sugar-Based Products

These are also the culprits in adding weight and reducing calcium content. If you really want to boost calcium in your body, then cut off sugar from your diet regime. Get rid of that sweetened lassi or buttermilk. It will add calories and make you bulky.

3. Excessive Consumption of Proteins

In case you are consuming large quantities of protein food, then reduce it proportionately. Protein is absolutely necessary for health but excess of it can harm the calcium content. Consuming animal foods will hamper your digestive system too.

4. Exercise

A diet regime needs to be supplemented by regular fitness regime. Only eating of rich and nutritious foods will not provide you with calcium. You need to exercise well to strengthen your bones and absorb nutrients in the body. The oxygenated blood needs to flow to all tissues and cells of the body.

5. Excessive Consumption of Salt

Salt is another white food that should be eliminated from the diet. It irons out calcium and retains water content in the body, leaving you bloated and puffed up.


Certain vegetables such as tomatoes, bell pepper, potatoes are also responsible for striking off calcium from the body.


Another aspect relating to calcium absorption is that it needs three more nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D and magnesium. These three nutrients are also essential for absorbing calcium in your body. Remember that you need to consume calcium that can be easily absorbed into your body. DO not eat calcium-based foods that will stick to your intestines and add weight to your body.

Calcium Boosters

Here are the calcium boosters that you need to incorporate into your diet regime on a daily basis.

Along with calcium-rich foods, people should eat foods that are fortified with magnesium and chlorophyll. Examples of such foods are as follows-

• Soybean and soybean-based products such as tofu, miso.
• Whole beans such as matki, moong, black beans, rajma.
• Whole gains such as brown rice, millet, corn, barley.
• Nuts and seeds, including sesame seeds, watermelon seeds and papaya seeds.
• These foods will help you in absorbing calcium into your body cells and tissues.
• Green leafy vegetables – Eat spinach, fenugreek or other leafy vegetable once in a day.
• Before eating grains and beans, soak them in water for at least 8 hours. Discard the water and then boil it in the cooker. This will help in eliminating phytic acid. Phytic acid is a component contained in beans and grains that reduce the absorption rate of calcium and magnesium in the body.
• Fermented dairy products are a better alternative than milk-based products.

• The best source of Vitamin D is to have an early morning walk in the sunlight. Let the sunlight absorb into your bones. Do not fret about tanning as the early morning sunrays are not harmful for your skin and hair. It will become your daily tonic of Vitamin D. Stay away from products that mention that those are fortified with Vitamin D content. These products contain synthetic form of Vitamin D and not the natural content.
• Adopt a lifestyle decision of exercising on a daily basis. Keep a fixed schedule of fitness regime as per your convenience. Keep changing your exercise routines on regular basis to avoid boredom and have variety in your fitness regime.
• Stay away from milk products such as artificial butter, synthetic milk, flavoured milk, cheese, etc. It will tempt you to eat these foodstuffs but will not add any calcium content in your body.
• Do not get tempted with the soya milk containers. It does not contain the entire nourishment of soybeans. Instead, opt for fermented soya products such as miso and tofu. Tofu can be generously used in gravies and rice.

We have heard of the disease named as osteoporosis that results due to deficiency of calcium. The truth is that mere calcium deficiency does not result in osteoporosis. Lack of magnesium foods, calcium-based foods and improper exercise regime results in this severe condition. Hence, people suffering from this disease must eat magnesium-rich foods. We need to exercise regularly to avoid such conditions.


Thus, we need to understand that apart from milk, we should explore other sources of calcium for strengthening our bones and teeth. We have a wide variety of calcium boosters in our home itself.


Make a habit of incorporating these calcium boosters in your diet on a consistent basis. Apart from diet regime, focus on exercise schedule for better results.

Source: https://stylenrich.com/calcium-boosters-amazing-facts/

Eating a Vagina Can Cure Cancer According to Cancer Treatment Study

According to research, cunnilingus can help fight cancer!


According to research initially reported to have been conducted at the State University of New York, a man’s most important meal, could well be his partner’s vagina!

 
Hormones such as DHEA Hormones and Oxytocin are produced whenever cunnilingus happens.


DHEA Hormones come from the adrenal gland and also made in the brain. DHEA leads to the production estrogens (female sex hormones).


Lower DHEA levels are found in people with hormonal disorders, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, depression, diabetes, inflammation, immune disorders, and osteoporosis.


Evidence suggests that DHEA may help treat depression, obesity, and osteoporosis.


Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. This important hormone plays a crucial role in the childbirth process and also helps with male reproduction….but could it also prevent against cancer?


These hormones are currently being studied on their effects on cancer cells and possible preventative medication.


Oxytocin has already showed it is effective at warding off breast cancer in clinical hypothesis such as this one. More clinical studies on the two hormones are being carried out to determine their affects on cancerous cells.


Have fun!

Source:  http://healthyhousetips.com/eating-vagina-can-cure-cancer-according-cancer-treatment-study/

Blogging For Beginners: How to Start a Blog in 20 Minutes

 

This is part 1 of 4 of the Blogging For Beginners series.
1. How to Start a Blog – Blogging For Beginners
2. Can’t Decide What’s The Best Blogging Platform to Use? Answers here.
3. 11 Things To Do Immediately After You Start a New Blog
4. 11 Blogging Plugins You Need to Rock Your Blog 


Hello! Perhaps you’ve thought of starting a blog for awhile. It’s time to stop procrastinating and just go ahead to do it.

Pin me and let’s be BFFs, yo!

 Things You’ll Need Beforehand:

• An open mind to embrace some basic techy stuff to get your website live
• Some $ for hosting
• Your desired URL for your blog (make sure the URL is available first using whois.net)

You’re at the beginning of an amazing blogging journey, and I’m really glad to be able to accompany you from the start. Do not worry about not knowing where to start or what to do. This beginner’s blogging guide was written with you in mind.
Even the most successful blogger on planet Earth started with 0 views from square 1, right?

The 5 Key Steps to Get Your Blog Up

• Get hosting
• Get a domain name
• Install WordPress
• Write your first post
• Install a theme

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• How to start a blog in under 20 minutes
• The best and most affordable host you should use
• Where to get a free domain name (URL)
• How to set up WordPress on your self-hosted blog for the first time

Steps 1 & 2: Get Hosting & Domain Name

Hosting is server space on the internet where your website is at. Basically, if you’ve a house, it’s sort of like the land your house is on.

When I first started, I was confused by the tons of choices available. Should I go for company XYZ? Or company ABC? Picking the right hosting company is a pain in the ass.


Some of you may wonder if you should just opt for Wix or Blogspot (or something similar that’s free). You should always self-host and own your own blog. By that, I mean owning your own servers and URL. Do not be reliant on other people. You don’t want your blog to disappear overnight. 

Own your personal assets. 

The different kinds of hosting available

There are different types of hosting available.

Shared hosting is when you share your server with other websites.

VPS hosting is when you share your server with other websites, but a portion of the available resources are reserved for you.

Dedicated hosting is when the server only has your website. You can google if you’re really interested in the nitty-gritty technicalities.

When you’re small, shared hosting is more than enough for you. You can always upgrade to dedicated hosting when your website is bigger.

My Recommended Hosting Provider: SiteGround

(Update: I’ve since edited this post to recommend SiteGround. I was previously using Hostgator, but as the years went by support deteriorated, and I cannot by my best conscience recommend anything owned by EIG (Hostgator, Bluehost, a small orange etc) anymore.

Here’s the guide I wished I had when I first started. You’ll be up and ready in no time. But first..

Why SiteGround and not other hosting providers?

I’ve been using Hostgator (owned by the same company that owns Bluehost) for 3 years, and quite honestly I’ve never had any big issues with them. They were affordable, and I was happy. However, their support, to put it real bluntly, sucked.


I still remember, there was once, I waited for their support for so long that I fell asleep on my desk and woke up the next morning!


As someone who teaches people how to build blogs, I’m in a ton of communities where bloggers hang out in. Facebook groups? A few hundred. Google + communities? At least 100 of them.


Pinterest group boards? Maybe about 50. And as we all know, one question we hear over and over again is “What’s the best host to use?”


I’ve heard lots of people praising SiteGround to the heavens – and one thing that was repeated again and again was how good their support was. That got me real curious, and I decided to do more research.


When my agreement with Hostgator ended, I decided to take the leap. And let me tell you…

Hostgator was good. SiteGround is much better.

SiteGround is also pretty affordable, if not one of the most affordable hosting solutions out there that’s of good quality. It costs about $3.95 a month, similar to Bluehost & Hostgator.


If you use my affiliate link, feel free to email me at raelyn[at]raelyntan.com if you’ve any questions about signing up to SiteGround and how to do it.

5 reasons why you should choose SiteGround, off the top of my head:

• It is not owned by EIG. EIG is a company that has acquired many popular hosting companies, and many have said that these once amazing companies have been turned into incompetent companies.
• Social proof: It’s one of the most popular (if not the most popular) and common hosting provider used by tons of bloggers.
• Support is super fast and great, and not staffed by a bunch of tech idiots!
• 1-click WordPress Installation is perfect for beginners
• 30-day money back guarantee – no risk!

Of course, there are naysayers saying that SiteGround isn’t good and stuff, but I’ve never had ANY issues with my hosting, and you’ll realize that these naysayers are few and far between.
Of course there are no service providers who are flawless, and of course, there are people that are pissed off, but SiteGround is one of the better ones with a good track record.


There’s a 30-day money back guarantee if it doesn’t work out for you anyway, so there’s no risk whatsoever! Aka: if you sign up and regret for some reason, just cancel and they’ll give you all your money back. They won’t refund you the $ for the domain name though, but you’ll still need that anyway, regardless of which host you use.

Let’s Get Started

Go over to SiteGround‘s home page, and click on web hosting.


Pick the package that’s most suitable for you – if you’re just starting out, it’ll be the “Startup” plan, but if you’ve more than one blog, you’ll need the “Growbig” plan (which is the one I’m using right now)


If you’re starting out from scratch with only one website, then StartUp would be the plan for you.
Otherwise, I recommend getting the GrowBig for multiple websites, priority tech support, free SSL certificate and 2x as much webspace.




Select, “get a new hosting account,” and then “register your domain.” Write your desired blog URL here.



You’ll then be asked to input your contact information to register a new account.
Select your plan, server location and how long you want to purchase your package for.


The best server location you can have would be the one that’s closest to where the majority of your blog readers are located. For instance, about ~75% of my visitors are from the USA; hence I would select “Chicago, USA” as my preferred server location.




For extra services, I did not pick any.


If you’re uncomfortable with sharing your personal information online, go ahead and pick domain privacy, or use a PO box address. Bare in mind that if someone really wants to find your personal information they will do so privacy or no privacy. Also, you shouldn’t be using your real address anywhere on the net. Email and telephone numbers are things that are readily available on your blog anyway.


The hack alert monitoring will let you know when your site has been hacked. This is a nifty feature provided by SiteGround. Do note that there are other ways that you can monitor your website’s security via other plugins like WordFence, and you can also do regular backups for your website as well!


Next, input your payment information, and you’re just about done.


You’ll then be sent a welcome email and asked to proceed to the customer area.

Step 3: Install WordPress

Proceed to the customer area and set up your website. There’ll be a pop-up asking you to install WordPress. Click on “Get WordPress Pre-Installed On This Account” and follow the account setup assistant.


Alternatively, you can select “My Account” > “Access My Cpanel” > Under Preinstallers, click on WordPress. That’s your 1-click installation process.


Once you’ve completed the installation process…

Access Your WordPress Admin Dashboard

Your WordPress admin dashboard is the backend of your WordPress website. You can access it at www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin (just replace “yourdomain” with your URL) and input your credentials.


When in doubt, feel free to ask SiteGround’s support. They’ll guide you there.

Step 4: Write your first post and just publish it

Do you know that many web owners never get around to even publishing their first post?
Consequently, 99.99% of these blogs die and fizzle out. Writing your first post gets you in the groove and dramatically increases your chance of following through with your blog instead of leaving it to rot.


You want that, right?


This is something I recommend to all my clients – get your first post out there ASAP. It increases your chance of success SO much.


It doesn’t even have to be a long post! A simple introductory post, along with what users can expect from your website is more than enough for a first post.

Step 5: Find a Suitable Theme

A theme dictates the overall look and design of your website.
Here are your options:

• Free ones from the WordPress marketplace
• Plenty of websites that sell really nice designs like themeforest.net
• Hire a website designer and get real professional from the get-go.

For me, I did up my own by purchasing my own website theme.

Blogging For Beginners In a Nutshell:

• Get hosting at SiteGround
• Have a domain name registered
• Install WordPress
• Write your first post
• Find a nice theme

Andddd you’re good and ready to go! I hope this has helped. It’s a little technical and may be hard to digest for some of you, but you only need to set it up once, and you’re good for a few years! Depending on what you choose, choosing THE a website theme/ getting THE website design may take awhile, but do not be discouraged.
xx Raelyn

Another pin:

Pin if you think this post is useful for beginner bloggers! 

Proceed to part 2 of the series, Can’t Decide What’s The Best Blogging Platform to Use? Answers here.


This is part 1 of 4 of the Blogging For Beginners series.
1. How to Start a Blog – Blogging For Beginners
2. Can’t Decide What’s The Best Blogging Platform to Use? Answers here.
3. 11 Things To Do Immediately After You Start a New Blog
4. 11 Blogging Plugins You Need to Rock Your Blog 

 

If you liked this post, please share this?

Seriously. It helps a lot with the growth of this blog.

I know most people don’t share because they feel that us bloggers don’t need their “tiny” social share. But here’s the truth…

I built this blog piece by piece, one small share at a time, and will continue to do so. So thank you so much for your support, my reader.

Some great suggestions:
– Pin it! (I even made a pretty pin for ya!)
– Share it to your favorite blog + biz Facebook group
– Tweet it!
– Stumble it!

It won’t take more than 10 seconds of your time. The share buttons are right here.

HOLD YOUR HAND IN THIS POSITION AND SEE THESE MIRACLES HAPPEN!

Well, we all know that yoga is very good for handling stress, and we’ve found a very calming position you can do with your hand. This thing comes all the way from ancient India.

It’s great against weight loss, it will improve your digestion and resolve eyesight problems as well.

1. PRITHVI MUDRA

This is a great pose for increasing the earth element over the fire one. In this way, the fire element, responsible for muscle soreness and obstruction of metabolic process, is removed.

2. VAAYU MUDRA

The calming pose. It influences the improvement of oxygen transportation through our body.

3. SHUNYA MUDRA

The pain killer pose. It relaxes the entire body and helps with ear problems, vertigo and feeling dullness in some body parts.

4. GYAN MUDRA

The knowledge pose. It rises your enthusiasm and has a positive effect on your memory.

5. VARUN MUDRA

Helps with arthritis, hormone disorder and dehydration.

6. AAKASH MUDRA

The enlightenment pose. Great when you want to relax and take your mind off things.

source: timeforhealthyfood.com

7 Types of Content that Increase Website Traffic & Improve SEO

Overall, What’s the Most Important Factor for SEO?

Content. Content makes the (internet) world go round’. Without valuable content, there’s nothing for users to find. The whole point of trying to get visitors on your website is so that they can read the things that you have written, right?


Your visitors are who determines whether or not your content & website have value.
If you have good content, people will be enticed to not only come to your website but stay on your website. They will refer your website to other people.

They’ll share your pages & posts to their audience on social media.

They’ll brag about your website to everyone they meet.

Your website will have more eyes on it, more visitors interacting with it & ultimately more brand awareness.


Continuously creating good and valuable content to your target audience is one of the best ways to increase website traffic. But, it’s not only beneficial to your user’s, it’s also amazing for SEO.

Blogging to help give your visitors value gives the google bots more content to scan through & a better idea of what your website is about. The more search bots & search engines know about your website, the more they can recommend it to user’s looking for your type of content (aka show your website in Google search results)


Give your website visitors value. Inform them. Educate them.
(That’s why knowing your target audience is so important. How can you educate and inform someone if you don’t know what topics they want to be educated in?!)

45% of marketers say blogging is their #1 most important content strategy. – Social Media Examiner

What kinds of content can you create?
Well this, of course, depends on your website & your target audience but regardless of your industry, there’s a ton of different kind of content that might be valuable to your audience.

7 Types of Content that Increase Traffic & Improve SEO

1. How-To Guides:

   Writing a how-to guide or a tutorial that walks your visitor through an entire process of how to do something is insanely valuable. They give your user’s a solution to a problem that they’re having. These typically work the best when you’ve faced the problem yourself at some point because you can pinpoint exactly where your user’s troubles are.
   
   
   When writing a how-to guide or tutorial it’s important to break down each step clearly & include images or screenshots to help avoid any confusion. The more value & education you can pack into those, the higher the chances of generated traffic.
   
   
   This type of content is probably the most time consuming, but if you do it right, it could end up bringing you traffic consistently, without you having to constantly share it.
   

2. Infographics:

   Infographics present & explain information in a visually enticing way. 67% of consumers consider clear and detailed visual elements as more important than other textual and non-image based content (source).
   
   
   Visual information is processed 60,000 times quicker than written information. Infographics combine the best of both worlds and can be used as a very effective communication tool.
   
   
   Besides the fact that your user’s love infographics, so does the rest of your industry. Interesting and powerful infographics can help generate more likes, comments, shares, and engagement on social media platforms.
   
   
   They also entice others to give a backlink to your website. (Backlinks are huge for SEO). If you create an infographic, email it to others that are in your industry and share them to influencers on social media. If they think their target audience would benefit from your infographic, they’ll be more likely to share it on a social media or toss it into one of their blog posts with a link back to your website to give you credit.
   

3. List Posts:

   List posts are hands-down one of the most successful types of content on the web. This blog post that you’re reading right now is an example of a list post.
   
   
   People love lists. They’re informative & easy to digest. It’s the perfect way to visually organize relevant information.
   
   
   They also offer a specific promise for your user. If the headline says “5 Different Ways to Make Brownies” you know that when you click on that article that you’re going to get at least 5 different ways to make brownies.
   

4. Interviews:

   They do these all the time on the news & TV shows. Why not utilize this type of content for your website?
   
   
   They offer inside access to an influencer’s perspective. Shoot out an email to an important person in your industry and publish the interview on your blog. Name recognition can boost your credibility through brand association and the interviewee will probably share the content too, further expanding its reach, especially on social media (which can totally help increase traffic to your website!)
   
   
   I’ve also seen expert round-ups. They’re like a combination of interviews & list posts where writers have asked a numerous amount of experts to share their views on a certain topic and then the writer creates a list post that explains each expert’s answer. Get creative, your visitors will appreciate it!
   
   
   Nervous about sending that interview email to an influencer? Don’t be! You’d be surprised at how many people are totally willing to share their insights, especially if the influencer is passionate about their industry. (Like shoot, I could talk about web design for 48 hours straight if someone would listen!)
   

5. Resource Posts:

   Resource posts are like a gold mine of information. They’re typically a round up of resources about a certain subject.
   
   
   Like one of mine for example: 10+ Networks To Look At For Creative & Freelancing Opportunities
   
   
   They could also be something like “Top Resources for Blogging” and then you have the chance to list your favorite resources that you use, love, & can’t live without.
   
   
   This is a great way to toss in affiliate links, get backlinks, and give your readers a point of reference.
   
   
   If you mention someone else as a reference in your reference post, shoot them an email and tell them that you’ve given them a little shout out. Typically, they’ll be appreciative and share with their own social media audience.
   

6. Reviews:

   A product/service review can be extremely useful to your user’s, especially if you can do it as a “blank vs. blank” type of post. When you compare one competitor to another, it allows your visitors to get help making a purchasing decision and they’ll appreciate your insight and honesty.
   
   
   Depending on your industry and what you’re reviewing, you could point out the best and worst aspects of the product/service, why you think they should/shouldn’t purchase it, and give them an overall comprehensive opinion of the options.
   
   
   Personally, I love these types of posts, especially when I’m looking for new software, plugins or programs. They allow me to get an inside look at another user’s perspective and help me to make a knowledgeable decision without shooting in the dark.
   

7. Videos & Podcasts:

   I’m sure it’s not big news to find out that billions of hours of videos are watched on YouTube every month. Different users appreciate different forms of content, some like written, some like video, some like audio, etc.
   
   
   By creating alternate forms of content, you’re also allowing yourself to be found on other social media networks like YouTube, Vimeo, & Periscope. Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine? (next to Google of course). So by taking advantage of these other platforms, you’re allowing yourself to increase your brand awareness & drive traffic back to your website.
   
   
   Multimedia content can be related to infographics in the way that they’re also very good for engagement. People LOVE to share videos on social media. My Facebook & Twitter feeds are always blowing up with these. People like, comment, and share these like crazy.
   

Sometimes it’s tempting to write content so that Google picks up your website, but you have to remember that you’re writing your content for people, not search engines. Google focuses on your websites user experience. If you write like a robot….no one is going to want to read your content & no one will come to your website. If no one comes to your website, that’s an indication to Google that you’re not putting the user first.

So just remember, when you’re brainstorming blog post & content ideas always put value first!

Interested in learning more info like this about SEO?

Check out The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to WordPress SEO. It’s the DIY non-tech guide to understanding SEO & optimizing WordPress websites for search engines. (+ checklists, worksheets, tips/tricks, & resource guides)


I’ve highlighted the most crucial & important points of SEO, so you can focus on getting the ground work all set up on your own. I’ve focused on not only making your website better for search engines but making it better for the people that use it.