Snus: The Smokeless Tobacco

Smoking is dangerous for your health. This is a very popular statement or slogan nowadays everywhere in the world and it is supported with research and statements from other people who used to smoke a lot and has died from lung cancer. 

Even though a lot of people already know it’s dangerous, there are still some people even in our city who continues to smoke especially those with stressful workload. They usually spend their breaks on smoking to relieve stress and ironically “to breathe.”  But if we look into it further, it’s not really the cigarette smoke that’s addicting or that’s helping the person to “relax,” but it’s actually the nicotine the cigarette contains. So what if there is a product out there that gives you the satisfaction that the nicotine gives, but minus the bad effects of cigarettes which means no smoke and definitely no spitting involved? Well, in Sweden, they have been using this smokeless tobacco since the 18th century and it's called the snus. 

What is Snus

Snus (pronounced "snoose," like “loose”) a smokeless tobacco pouch, offers an alternative to things like smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco. Snus pouches are flavored (or unflavored depending on your preference) tobacco pouches that you place under your upper lip. Once in position, the snus discretely releases the tobacco within, providing the user with the same nicotine buzz as other methods, but without any of the unpleasant side effects associated with something like smoking.

Is It Safe to Use

“Compared to cigarette smoking, the use of snus is probably less harmful,” says Michael Steinberg, MD, MPH, director of the tobacco dependence program at Rutgers University. “But there’s a big difference between ‘less harmful’ and safe.”  I mean let’s face it. It is still a tobacco product . But just like everything else, like sugar, you have to take it in moderation. If you take too much, you’ll definitely get sick one way or the other. 

So if you don’t burn it or if you don’t have to spit it, the possibilities are endless. You can take it in places where smoking is usually prohibited like in the opera house, movie house, museums, library, or even while attending a mass in Church. You can also watch your child’s play in school while using it since you’re not harming anybody. Personally, I'm not really a fan of tobacco, but I do know a lot of people who are struggling to stop smoking and this is probably one baby step for them to quit. 

Security in Distance Learning

Image from Unsplash

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, schools around the world were forced to practice distance learning to keep the students safe and confined in their homes. Sites like Scrum Institute, Udemy, and Harvard University has been practicing distance learning for a quite some time so they must have a strong framework to support it. Since most of educational institutions are simply forced to distance learning, a lot of them are still struggling to this digital transformation. Educators need to revise and build the content for their courses that’s suited online, as well as build the distance learning infrastructure needed to ensure all of their faculty and students have remote access to this content. The challenge they face is how to do this at scale and do it securely?

Just like the real world, the cyber world or the internet is filled with malicious users and cyber criminals who are fully aware that for many educational organizations, distance learning is uncharted waters. Educational institutions have long been a target by adversaries. According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Report, education continues to be plagued by human errors, social engineering, and denial of service attacks. And these changes only compound these challenges.

The conversion to distance learning has improved the online security risk for institutions and created potential opportunities for criminals. Essential information are their targets such as stealing personal and financial information, intellectual property, or simply be disruptive.

Secured Learning Environment

There are several simple steps every educational institution or any other institution needs to consider if they want to set up and maintain an effective distance learning environment.  These include the following: 

Protect Web Applications

Exploiting vulnerabilities in applications is the easiest way for an attacker to breach your network. You must scan external sites for security flaws such as cross-site scripting errors and SQL injections. And it’s equally important to encrypt the traffic between your learning systems and your users, whether faculty, students, or administrators, so information can’t be stolen in transit. 

Provide Strong Authentication

It is essential to enforce strong password policies (i.e., complexity, length, and expiration), enforce account lockout after failed attempts to prevent password guessing, and leverage multi-factor authentication where possible to prevent the misuse of stolen passwords. I believe this is where captcha comes in and other similar security measures. 

Leverage Network Segmentation

Another way to secure your environment is to segment or separate your internet-facing teaching applications from your other internal applications, such as your HR system, Accounting, etc. This way, if a breach or malware outbreak were to occur, the scope of impact will be limited.

Manage 3rd Party Risk

The third-party technologies that you use in your online learning environments can pose additional vulnerabilities and risk to your enterprise network. Whether it’s your learning management system or teleconferencing tools (e.g. Zoom, Skype, etc.), regardless of whether they are hosted in the cloud or on-premise, you need to ensure you perform a thorough security assessment of the vendor and their products before introducing them into your network environment. 

Monitor for Malicious or Unusual Activities

Organizations new to implementing distant learning will see a significant increase in devices and external network traffic connecting to their networks. The security staff needs to be aware of any unusual login attempts, unexplainable large data transfers, or other behaviors that seem out of the norm. This job usually falls under the network manager’s responsibility or his/her minions. 

As we engage in distance learning, we need to ensure that we practice cyber distancing to protect ourselves from malicious users. In order to maintain order and take control, it's strongly recommended to follow these standard security practices to effectively move us into this new distance learning norm.

Just to give you some tips, here are some reliable distance learning websites I found (you may search Google about their websites): 

• International Scrum Institute 
• Maryville University 
• Harvard University 
• Udemy.com 
• Coursera 

Extra Special Mother’s Day at Home with The Manila Hotel

Mother’s Day is a yearly reminder to cherish our relationship with our moms. Given this year’s unique circumstances, many of us will be celebrating this special day at home or even away from the special women in our lives—mom, grandmas, and aunts. Still, even when fancy dinners are impossible, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be canceled.With some creativity and preparation, you can still give the most special woman in your life the Mother’s Day she deserves.

The Manila Hotel pulls all the stops for you to still be able to give her a memorable Mother’s Day.This home celebration will have a five-star hotel feel and The Manila Hotel will make sure it gets close to a real feast.

 

The Manila Hotel’s Mother’s Day Surprise gives you discounts when you choose to order the food-and-cake bundle and pay online on or before May 8, 2020 (Friday). You may choose items from the A La Carte Menu or Home Buffet sets (Filipino, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese favorites, as well as Certified Halal items) and get a 20% discount on your food bill, and a 10% discount on the cake of your choice.

Because mothers deserve the only the best, you can choose from our awesome selection: our decadent Opera Cake; Ohaina Chocolate Gateau, a Lifestyle Inquirer Best Dessert Winner; the mouthwatering Trio of Chocolate Mousse, and our amazing Mango Cheesecake.

To order or for more information, please call 8527 0011 or message 0998-9501912.

IOT: Business and Employment During Lockdown

The world is under a health crisis all thanks to the Corona or COVID 19 virus that’s affecting people all over the globe. Schools, non-essential businesses, and all public gatherings are suspended until further notice to prevent the virus from spreading. Most states in the US are under lockdown meaning the general public are forced to stay at home and employees are encouraged to work from home if possible. According to the Fortune, thereare 4.4 million Americans who filed unemployment claims in the week endingApril 18 because working from home is not possible in their line of work (e.g. restaurants, hotels, massage, parlors, etc.).

How To Achieve A Wet Curly Hair Look

It's quite challenging to maintain a nice curly hair because curly hair can get frizzy time to time. Perhaps you prefer the hair look after taking a shower and it's all wet. And you may have seen that “wet” look on many celebrities. Do you want to capture the same wet curly hair look? How can you make it look like that when it's dry? It's not very difficult to achieve that look. All you need is to add some kind of hair products. Wavy and curly hair texture requires maintenance to keep defined curls and wet look. Hair maintenance is a must and if you fail on your hair care, it can easily get dry and tangled. Read on to know how to get that beautiful wet curly hair look.

Brazilian Loose Wave Hair is Your Best Choice

The loose wave hair is a kind of wavy hairstyles which has big and Brazilian Curly Hair, this loose wavy pattern can be easily straightened bone straight and curled to suit any hairstyle.The beautifully defined waves are extremely versatile and will give you a more bouncy look.

And then, let's see What Is Brazilian Loose Wave Hair

Staying Safe from COVID-19: Basic Protective Measures Against the New Corona Virus

It’s no secret that people are scared of the current Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak, previously known as Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Some even resorted to believing some misconceptions such as eating bananas or drinking vodka claiming that it can help them avoid contracting it. 

The outbreak has now affected 81 countries, including China where the new Corona virus strain, which has not been previously identified in humans, was first recorded. In the Philippines, there are currently 204 new cases as of today that are identified as positive carriers of the said virus. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), clustering pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was reported in Wuhan, China, last December 2019—this signaled the start of the outbreak, which has since spread globally, affecting more than 94,0000 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

In outbreak situations like this, the saying, "prevention is better than cure," becomes relevant more than ever. But, what should you do to protect yourself and the others against the disease?

Citing the WHO and DOH advisories, Sante, a provider of premier organic health and wellness products and services, lists down the basic preventive measures you should know and more importantly practice, amid the COVID-19 outbreak: 

Practice Frequent and Proper Hand Washing 

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to eliminate the virus if it is on your hands. It also important that you know how to properly wash your hands. You may also use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if your hands are not visibly dirty.  

Observe Proper Cough Etiquette

When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Don’t forget to discard the tissue once you use it and wash your hands after or disinfect with alcohol or hand sanitizer. In the absence of this, cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow.

By doing so, you can prevent the spread of germs and viruses, especially when you use your bare hands, you may contaminate objects or even the people you touch.

Avoid Touching Eyes, Nose and Mouth

Our hands touch many surfaces, which might be contaminated with the virus. If you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with your contaminated hands, you might transfer the virus from the surface to yourself. Should you need to touch any part of your face, make sure to wash your hands before doing so.

Maintain Social Distance

If possible, maintain at least a meter (3 feet) distance away from other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing, and with a fever. When someone infected with respiratory diseases coughs or sneezes, that person projects small droplets containing the virus. If you are too close, you might breathe in the virus.

Avoid Unprotected Contact with Farm or Wild Animals 

As a general precaution, you should practice general hygiene measures when visiting live animal markets, wet markets, or animal product markets. 

When you go to these places, make sure that you sanitize or wash your hands with soap and water after touching the animals and animal products. Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. If there are sick animals or spoiled animal products, avoid close contact with them. 

Any contact with other animals in the market, such as stray cats and dogs, rodents, birds, cows, pigs goats and bats, should also be avoided, including the potentially contaminated animal waste or fluids on the soil or structures of shops and market facilities.

Cook Food Thoroughly

Per good food safety practices, you must handle raw meat, milk, or animal organs with care to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods. It also pays to ensure that all your meals are well-cooked. 

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

While in the flu season, you need to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Aside from a well-balanced diet and regular exercise, it also pays to take vitamins and food supplements to boost your immune system. This is what Santé has been promoting to help everyone to live more and do more in life.

With its mission to improve the quality of life of people around the world, Santé provides premier organic health and wellness products and services with Santé Barley at its core. Barley grass is an effective antioxidant, rich in vitamins and minerals that not only detoxifies the body but also, aids in digestive health and boosts the immune system. Santé’s products are also made, specifically, with organic pure barley from farms, as certified by BioGro, New Zealand’s leading organic certification agency.

Among its products is Daily C, Sante’s non-acidic vitamin C contains 568mg of Sodium Ascorbate. When taken daily, Daily C can aid in boosting your immune system. Its non-acidic form makes it gentler on the stomach and safer for daily use. Without the acidic pain from your usual vitamin C, you get the most out of this vitamin source.

To know more about Santé and its product offerings and other upcoming events, visit their official FB Page at www.facebook.com/pg/santeofficial.ph or their website at www.santebarley.com/ph.