Women Entrepreneurship in MENA: An Analysis

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Women entrepreneurship is an important unexploited source of economic growth in almost all parts of the world. Unfortunately women in MENA have the lowest rates of Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) at merely 4% of the population. The highest rates, globally, are in sub-Saharan Africa, at 27%. Latin American and Caribbean economies also show high levels (15 percent). In just seven economies (Panama, Thailand, Ghana, Ecuador, Nigeria, Mexico, and Uganda), women had equal or slightly higher levels of entrepreneurship than men. For the rest, women represented a smaller share of the entrepreneur population.

women-entrepreneurship-middle-east

Current Situation

The recent interest in women entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa region has spurred a number of studies that aim to explain MENA’s very low female participation in the workforce and political life, at  both the inter-regional and the intra-regional scales and  to identify the challenges facing women entrepreneurs.

The comparative data shows that the MENA region has made strong gains in human development: Literacy increased to 69 percent, average schooling (for those above 15)  rose  to  5.2  years,  child mortality  rates  plunged  to  around  46  per  thousand  births,  and  life  expectancy  has climbed to  reach  68  years.”.

However the level of unemployment among women remains high throughout the region. Of course, there is enough evidence to show that culture and social norms — not religion since countries with the same religion clearly show different rates — have a great deal to do with it.

Also Read: Buying and Trading Gems in the Middle East – An Easy Guide

Key Barriers and Constraints

The MENA region, more than other regions, faces specific barriers for women to interact in the public sphere and to access vital resources. This poses constraints that need to be addressed with specific measure in access to technology, financing and access to information which is a necessity in a globalized world. Some of the main barriers and constraints identified in hampering women entrepreneurs from entering the economic mainstream are as follows:

  • Gender specific barriers: Despite the fact that MENA nations have made considerable efforts to narrow the gender gap, much remains to be done to raise the social welfare of women in the region.
  • Cultural norms.
  • Civil law: Prevalent laws tend to enforce certain customs and social norms and, in doing so, institutionalize and legitimize certain behaviors.
  • Access to financial services and resources.
  • Barriers in the business environment.
  • Lack of research and data to inform an effective advocacy strategy.

Inter-regional Disparities in MENA

The difference of Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rates among countries in the MENA region is well explained by the heterogeneity and diversity of their historical development, social makeup and system of governance as well as  the  key  indicators  of  human  development  such  as health, education and living  standards.

role of women in food security

It is quite difficult to make generalizations across the MENA region as the region  includes super-rich oil economies, a relatively small population and a large expat population such as Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE; mixed oil economies such as Algeria, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and  Syria  and non-oil economies  like  Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Malta and Cyprus. This further complicates attempts to explain variations in the character and gender aspects of employment and entrepreneurship.

Also Read: Building Businesses With Purpose – Social Entrepreneurship

Thus, each country in the Arab world is confronting constraints and barriers to women entrepreneurship in different contexts. The profile of barriers for each nation is shaped by inter-connectedness of intrinsic and extrinsic factors specific to each country. Some studies have attributed MENA’s low rates of female labor force participation in oil-exporting countries of MENA (the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) to oil.

It has been argued that the economic structure, social norms, and institutional characteristics of oil-rich economies discourage women from formal sector work. Ross (2008) argues that oil production “reduces the number of women in the labor force, which in turn reduces their political influence.” Oil-rich countries tend to have undiversified private sectors characterized by male-dominated employment and large public sectors. Consequently, employment opportunities for women often are highly concentrated in the public sector

Oil is a significant source of income for some MENA countries, especially GCC nations, and has definitely limited the growth of non-oil sectors. Nevertheless, it is notable that many countries in the region are net oil importers but still have rates of female labor force participation as low as those of oil-rich MENA countries. In contrast, oil producers outside MENA such as Norway and the Russian Federation have higher rates of female labor force participation.

Ways to Enhance Female Entrepreneurship

Targeted, coordinated efforts are needed on multiple fronts to increase women’s participation in the economic and political spheres, and these efforts must be specific to country context. These efforts include changes in policies to secure women’s equality under the law, to bridge the remaining gender gaps in health and education, to redress the skills mismatch in the job market, and to promote women’s civic and political participation, and changes in economic policies by adoption of more nuanced labor taxation systems, more targeted social welfare benefits, tax credits, public financed parental leave schemes and promotion, better flex-work arrangements, enhanced access to finance and training for female entrepreneurs.

women entrepreneurship in Arab world

All these policy options and more can narrow the gap between men and women in economic life, and can trigger a momentum of growth and job creation that can support much higher rates of GDP and ensure prosperity for all.

Furthermore, the economic and political environment arising from the Arab Spring has created an unprecedented window of opportunity for change. Given the growing labor, demographic, and fiscal constraints, and the changing aspirations in the Middle East and North Africa region, policy reforms are urgently needed to boost job creation for all.

References

  • Ebba Augustin, Ruby Assad & Dalila Jaziri, 2012, Women Empowerment for Improved Research in Agricultural Development, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in the West Asia/ North Africa Region, AARINENA Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa
  • Leyla Sarfaraz, Nezameddin Faghih and Armaghan Asadi Majd 2014, The relationship between women entrepreneurship and gender equality, The Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research (JGER)
  • Michael L. Ross, 2008, “Oil, Islam, and Women.” American Political Science Review
  • OECD-MENA Investment Programme, 2013, Gender inequality and entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa : A statistical portrait
  • World Bank, 2007, The Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Solid Waste Management in Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia has been witnessing rapid industrialization, high population growth rate and fast urbanization which have resulted in increased levels of pollution and waste. Solid waste management is becoming a big challenge for the government and local bodies with each passing day. With population of around 29 million, Saudi Arabia generates more than 15 million tons of solid waste per year. The per capita waste generation is estimated at 1.5 to 1.8 kg per person per day.

More than 75 percent of the population is concentrated in urban areas which make it necessary for the government to initiate measures to improve recycling and waste management scenario in the country. Solid waste generation in the three largest cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam – exceeds 6 million tons per annum which gives an indication of the enormity of the problem faced by civic bodies.  

Waste Management Scenario

In Saudi Arabia, garbage is collected from individual or community bins and disposed of in landfills or dumpsites. Saudi waste management system is characterized by lack of waste disposal facilities and absence of tipping fees. Most of the landfills are expected to reach their capacities within the next 10 years. Recycling, reuse and energy recovery is still at an early stage, although they are getting increased attention. Waste sorting and recycling are driven by an active informal sector. Recycling rate ranges from 10-15%, mainly due to the presence of the informal sector which extracts paper, metals and plastics from municipal waste.

Dumping of wastes in deserts is a common sight in the Middle East

Recycling activities are mostly manual and labor intensive. Composting is also gaining increased interest in Saudi Arabia due to the high organic content of MSW (around 40%).  Efforts are also underway to deploy waste-to-energy technologies in the Kingdom. All activities related to waste management are coordinated and financed by the government.

Government Initiatives

The Saudi government is aware of the critical demand for waste management solutions, and is investing heavily in solving this problem. The 2017 national budget allocated SR 54 billion for the municipal services sector, which includes water drainage and waste disposal. The Saudi government is making concerted efforts to improve recycling and waste disposal activities.  Recently the Saudi Government approved new regulations to ensure an integrated framework for the management of municipal wastes. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs will be responsible for overseeing the tasks and responsibilities of the solid waste management system.

However, more serious efforts are required to improve waste management scenario in the Kingdom. A methodical introduction of modern waste management techniques like material recovery facilities, waste-to-energy systems and recycling infrastructure can significantly improve waste management scenario and can also generate good business opportunities. 

Conclusions

Strong legislations, financial support, public awareness, modern technologies and stakeholders’ participation should be the key in transforming Saudi Arabia into a ‘green’ nation. A strong political commitment and unflinching public support is mandatory for implementing a sustainable waste management strategy in the country. 

How Environmental Engineering Has Improved Environmental Condition

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It is common knowledge that the environment is not at its best now nor has it ever been for the past decades. Unfortunately, people have been deliberately negligent of their environmental responsibilities.

With many abusive and irresponsible acts against the environment, resources are seriously depleted. Without conscious awareness about the adverse effects of environmental abuse, the planet may be uninhabitable in the years to come.

As experts see the need for reform and to counteract the abuses done by many, various corrective actions are put in place. Tactical strategies and methodologies are created to correct what needs to be corrected and to undo what has already been done.

Environment-Melbourne

However, it still takes a great deal of cooperation from everyone. There is absolutely nothing advanced with this. It is easy to follow, however, most people tend to lean towards financial gains. Many would rather go for fleeting conveniences rather than actively partake in saving the environment.

Thankfully, environmental engineering has gone leaps and bounds in improving the global environmental condition. With its strategically designed protocols, the global populace still has clean drinking water and generally acceptable air quality to breathe.

For one, environmental engineering in Melbourne has significantly improved the city’s environmental condition. Even better, different environmental engineering Melbourne based companies have ongoing projects worldwide to deliver the same results done at home.

Some Processes To Combat Worsening Environmental Condition

1. Press Optimisation

This process is to spread the exhaust air for energy efficiency. The Press Optimisation process is essential for various reasons. It reuses waste exhaust generally to reduce energy requirements. Since it mainly deals with energy efficiency, nothing is put to waste. It supplies enough energy for resources that need it.

2. Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers

These units are known for their energy efficiency. It combats and destroys hazardous air pollutants. It does take care of odorous emissions which can be found in the air exhausted by different manufacturing units using solvents. The RTOs (as what these units are commonly known as) use high temperature thermal oxidation to destroy pollutants.

Well, we don’t have to be experts in environmental engineering to know all these. Obviously, it is the experts’ responsibility to ensure that we live another day by working round the clock.

Environmental engineering is a necessity now

According to Environmental Science, sanitation is an important part of our evolution. The absence of sanitation means more water-borne diseases and illness. Such a problem definitely increases global mortality rate. As environmental engineering greatly deals with sanitation, various advancements were put in place to effectively deal with sewage systems. It also has a significant contribution in developing natural and artificial water supplies.

Experts in environmental engineering have devoted time and energy to continuously keep our air and water pollutants-free. They have also done enormous work in protecting us against radioactive and other poisonous materials. As a result, climate change has been under control.

What should the next action steps be?

Discipline is the key. The environment is severely damaged and obliterated. No one else has to be blamed but us. It is vital that we all understand the severe and unimaginable consequences if we don’t act NOW. Sure, environmental engineering takes care of the technicalities in cleaning up after us. However, it can only do so much.

Even if environmental engineering gets more and more advanced, it will not be enough to fix the damages we do against the environment. It has to be a conscious partnership between this branch of engineering and our awareness to mend our ways. Then, we all won’t have to deal with complicated processes and the likes.

5 Top Reasons To Embrace Sustainable Manufacturing

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What is sustainable manufacturing? Put simply, it defines processes that minimise a plant’s overall environmental impact. Once regarded as rather niche, sustainable practices are becoming widely adopted. Here are five reasons why embracing sustainable manufacturing is growing in popularity:

green-manufacturing

1. It can create a Unique Selling Point

Climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions continue to dominate the environmental agenda: sustainability is here to stay. Did you know that millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, makes up most of today’s workforce? They are also the generation that is most committed to implementing sustainable goals, according to Forbes research. Becoming a sustainable manufacturer could therefore give you an edge in attracting new customers in this highly competitive industry.

2. It can reduce energy costs

The manufacturing industry is not only highly competitive it’s also energy intensive. By embracing sustainable manufacturing you are consciously taking steps to improve your efficiency and reduce waste, which over time will save you cold hard cash. One way of achieving this is by doing an energy audit.

By defining your plant’s unique energy footprint you’ll be able to take steps towards to minimise energy consumption. Whether it be switching your lightbulbs to more energy-efficient ones or training staff in energy best practices, it will help improve your efficiency efforts for years to come.

3. It can improve productivity

The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the manufacturing sector to evolve operations faster than ever before, in the process creating new levels of digital insights. It’s therefore the perfect time to improve your plant’s capabilities by leveraging this data. Embracing digital advancements is particularly crucial when considering complex equipment such as shell and tube heat exchanger. This will help make processes more sustainable by enabling you to optimise system utilisation, enhancing manufacturing resilience and flexibility.

4. It can attract governmental funding

Sometimes the barriers to upgrading processes to become more sustainable comes down to one thing: funding. Governments around the world understand this; that’s why many offer incentives in the form of tax breaks, rebates and grants. In addition to saving you costs, deciding to become more sustainable could mean a cash injection for our business.

Important Environmental Metrics

As a bonus, it could also make you more attractive to governmental contracts, since thanks to the Paris Agreement, most countries have mandated reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

5. It can boost staff retention and well-being

Manufacturing plants have a large turnover, costing them hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. It is no secret that happy workers feel more loyal to their businesses and will tend to contribute more innovative ideas, so the feelgood component of working for a company that makes a difference should not be overlooked. Becoming sustainable could not only save you thousands in recruitment, it could improve productivity, too.

As you can see, sustainability in manufacturing is a multi-step process – from reduced energy consumption to enhanced employee engagement. However, if done right the investment involved can yield multiple returns. And in an increasingly competitive business environment those gains cannot be overlooked.

The Green Girl of UAE

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Kehkashan Basu is a 12 year old environmental and social activist from the United Arab Emirates whose sole objective is to involve and mobilize kids and youth in the movement for a sustainable and green future. Born on 5th June, which interestingly also happens to be the World Environment Day, she feels that it was pre-ordained that she should grow up to be an environmental activist. Spreading the message of peace and sustainability has been her passion since she her early childhood days.

Needless to say, Kehkashan has been working tirelessly to motivate youngsters all over the world to care for the environment. She was the youngest international delegate at Rio+20 held in Rio de Janeiro last year where her work on stopping land degradation won her a global award from UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Infact, she was the only child to be a part of a UN press conference at Rio+20 which was held to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification . She also conducted several workshops on sustainability and also launched the first Asia Pacific Youth Water Summit at this landmark event. She was chosen by UN Conference on Sustainable Development Major Group for Children and Youth (UNCSD MGCY) to be the voice of the children and youth at several forums and reached out to the children of Rio’s slums to integrate them in the march towards sustainability.

As a member of the Arab Youth for Climate Movement, Kehkashan attended the Conference of Youth (CoY8) as well as CoP18 held in Doha last year. Her exemplary work as a youth ambassador has seen her participating in numerous international conferences, notable being Eye on Earth Summit, World Future Energy Summit and Asia Pacific TUNZA Conference. Her efforts to promote environmental advocacy won her a prize from the Korea Green Foundation and she was invited to give a presentation at the 2012 Global Youth for Environment Forum held in Seoul, Korea.

In addition, Kehkashan is the founder of a youth organization called Green Hope UAE which strives to provide a networking platform to children and youth to carry forward the Rio legacy. She is Climate Justice Ambassador for Plant-for-the-Planet and in her role as the Academy Coordinator conducted the first Plant-for-the-Planet in the UAE which mobilized school children to plant saplings in the country. Kehkashan is the Regional Ambassador of TUNZA Ecogeneration, an active member of UNEP, United Nations Major Groups for Children & Youth (UNCSD MGCY) and the Emirates Environmental Group apart from being the Chairperson of the UAE chapter of International Youth Council.

Kehkashan has actively pursued a number of grassroot-level projects on environment protection and biodiversity conservation. She plants a tree on every birthday as a symbol of her solidarity to the green cause and has planted saplings in the UAE, Indonesia, Kenya and Brazil. Despite her heavy involvement in environment protection, Kehkashan  has always achieved top grades in school which helped her in winning the prestigious HH Shaikh Hamdan Award for Distinguished Academic Performance in 2010. 

Kehkashan works towards being the change for a better future and believes in the words of Mark Twain “Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first”. Her objective is to take a leadership role in spreading awareness about natural resource conservation in school and community and also be a role model by practicing the tenets of conservation which may spur the young generation to lead the fight against climate change

 

3 Apps for Students to Maintain Well-Being in College

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Nothing is more important for a student than taking care of their mental health. With a big pile of homework, terrifying exams, and a lot of other responsibilities, life for a student can get overwhelming.

As a college student, you need support, and one of the ways to get it is to download an application, which is an easy task to do. However, searching for the apps yourself can give you even more stress. First, you need the exact names and then time to test the application and figure out if it’s a good solution.

apps for your well-being in college

Luckily, other people have already created, found, and tested certain applications that can be useful in day-to-day life. There is also assignment help available for a student whenever they are stuck with their homework or feel like they won’t be able to catch up with the deadline by themselves. Utilizing such services and efficient software will help you make progress in your studies and keep calm in any situation.

Intrigued to find out what are the top names of the apps that you could use for your well-being in college? The following list will reveal some of the best ones for you.

1. Calm

Calm is a popular self-care app with a name that speaks for itself. Along with the soothing visuals the application provides, it brings a lot of real-life benefits. It targets reducing anxiety and enhancing the quality of sleep, which is crucial for a student who has a bad habit of staying up late.

It teaches effective stress-managing with practical solutions, such as guided meditations, for example. In fact, it gives access to a whole library of meditation sessions that focus on various themes, from falling asleep to anxiety attacks. Among the other things this app offers are sleep sounds and music, exercises, breathing techniques, and even bedtime stories.

When you log in to the app, it will ask you to pick a specific personal goal:

  • Improve productivity/performance;
  • Get more happiness;
  • Fight anxiety;
  • Practice gratitude;
  • Uplift self-esteem;
  • Enhance sleep quality;
  • Reduce stress.

Thus, you can work on the highest-priority issue and track your progress.

2. Flora

It’s hard to focus sometimes, which causes guilt and anxiety when you try to cram everything in one night. Flora has a solution for that.

It’s an application developed for building a positive relationship with a healthy focus and deadlines. It encourages making real progress by setting timers to stay off the phone and noting clear to-do lists. The green design and nature theme make the atmosphere chill and aesthetically appealing, which gives no chance but to work along with it.

Ways to Make Your Business Eco-Friendly

Moreover, it’s not just a focus app. The concept revolves around a game. You have to spend time studying smartly and growing trees while discovering new plants every day. You can use this app with your friends and even help the environment – how cool is that?

3. Evernote

Many people call Evernote the best note-taking app, and it definitely has a lot of users. The reason for that is the simple interface that allows you to efficiently save, edit, upload, and organize all of your files and create notes on your device.

It’s super convenient because you can sync information on your phone and laptop, as well as integrate third-party applications in it.

online education

You can leverage Evernote to keep track of the best paper writing services and note all the homework specifications so they don’t get scattered among different places. It’s even possible to pin a certain note to not forget about any of the tasks in progress.

Conclusion

There are times when students simply survive college instead of enjoying it to the fullest. With so much going on, in addition to distractions and mental health issues, it can get quite tough to keep up with the tasks.

Using the applications developed to make a student’s life easier and more enjoyable is one of the best modern solutions accessible to everyone. You could greatly improve your mental health, productivity, and overall well-being if you try out these three apps. So, don’t hesitate to change your life for the better; act on it now!

Recommended Reading: Tips for Balancing Study in College and Other Areas of Life

How to Surpass Microsoft MS-300 Using Exam Dumps

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It’s still in a dojo. And students still receive the classic progression from white to black belts. BUT, it’s something completely different. When kids enter this space, they are taught robotics not roundhouse. There Microsoft MS-300 Practice Test exists an entire martial-arts-style course where children learn programming skills. Its name: ‘Code Ninjas’. With their t-shirt & jeans-wearing sense is and culture of “gameplay is the best way to learn”, this organization aims to bring out the next generation of creative coders by letting kids design their own video games from their imagination. The environment itself is inductive of bright ideas: letting children be themselves, excitedly discuss their findings, share their codes, and overcome hurdles together; exactly the things developers do all the time. Since its launch in 2016, Code Ninjas have taught programming to more than 15,000 children, with a more advanced coding curriculum for teens just on the horizon.

ms300-examdumps

Programmer & founder David Graham thanks Microsoft for helping him piece his unique idea together and bring it to life. Code Ninjas & their entire curriculum are built on Microsoft tools: the little ninjas program using C# and use Windows 10 devices, the team’s game-building engine is hosted on Certbolt Microsoft Azure, and every franchise of Graham’s business uses Office 365 facilities including Microsoft MS-300 Practice Test & Microsoft Teams. Graham acknowledges how much time and funds these readily available tools saved their start-up, allowing Code Ninjas to concentrate on their mission: helping U.S. kids catch up to the rest of the world in STEM subjects.

Need a Badge? Get One!

Microsoft is also the company that offers skilled IT workers around the world a chance to get a formal certification for their talent by taking necessary exams, which inevitably leads to more career opportunities and a higher salary. So, say you already are in the job role of a ‘Teamwork Administrator’ meaning you are familiar working with Microsoft Office 365 & handling Azure workloads in a way that promotes effective collaboration between parties. Work as a Teamwork Administrator also means you are competent in using, securing, and integrating a range of apps & services including line-of-business applications & also those used by ‘Code Ninjas’ such as Teams, SharePoint, and OneNote.

Now, the combination of tests you would need to take to achieve your formal IT credential as a Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate is MS-300: Deploying Microsoft 365 Teamwork and Microsoft MS-300 Practice Test : Deploying SharePoint Server Hybrid. The rest of this article looks more closely at MS-300 assessment.

Exam MS-300 Details

MS-300 assesses your abilities on four main topics: SharePoint Online, Teams, Workload Integrations, and OneDrive for business. So expect to be tested on-site collections, hub sites, search facility optimization, and setting up guest access when working with SharePoint. While encountering the ‘Teams’ section, you need to form Teams using its Admin Center as well as troubleshoot issues that may arise in the platform. ‘Workload Integrations’ part of the syllabus that will help you integrate line-of-business solutions according to the business’s data needs and explore the potential of Microsoft tools like Yammer & Stream.

Finally, when working with OneDrive for Business you will be taught how to sync securely, view files shared with those not part of the organization, and block synchronization of certain types of files. MS-300 is by no means an easy feat. As such, aside from a basic understanding of apps & services like Office, Power Apps, Flow, Yammer, Microsoft Graph, Stream, Planner, and Project, Microsoft recommends that to be a suitable candidate for this test you need to have a firm understanding of Networking, PowerShell, SQL Servers, Azure Active Directory, DNS, different operating systems, and administering Windows servers. When it comes to the details of this exam, for 150 minutes you’ll be exposed to a minimum of 40 tasks and an entry test fee equals USD 165.

The Lifeline

If you’re wishing there was something to guide you through this ordeal, well there is. Filled with informative pictures, tables, and charts is ‘Deploying Microsoft 365 Teamwork: Exam MS-300 Guide’, a book by Aaron Guilmette. Aaron is a technical specialist over at Microsoft, who not only works closely with the Microsoft 365 platform, including ‘Teams’ but was also involved in designing technical certification exams at Microsoft.

Owing to this advantage, the book is able to provide learners with insider perspectives, tips & tricks, strategies to approach the different topics, and invaluable expert advice from Aaron. To add more, the book also includes practice questions for MS-300.

Exam Dumps Mean a Better Shot

There’s one more thing aspiring candidates for the Microsoft MS-300 assessment need, and this is a ‘can’t miss’ resource. You need to incorporate PreAway.com in your preparation schedule. Why? Well, while Aaron’s book does contain practice questions, PreAway.com provides learners with a plethora of fully fleshed exam dumps containing real questions from past sessions of the MS-300 test. What is more, these are not a ‘one and done’ so to speak, but rather updated regularly. Also, with Exam-labs.com’s MS-300 Premium Bundle you get a hold of expert-verified answers to 135 questions from MS-300, a 53-lecture training course, and a neat study guide; all for the take-home price of $59.99.

Moreover, Aaron’s practice tests don’t really simulate the exam environment of MS-300, whereas when you open Exam-labs’s exam dumps using the ETE Exam Simulator by the Vumingo team, it will replicate the exact testing atmosphere of MS-300 assessment including the allocated time frames & types of questions, helping you build your competency in this test.

Certs Score Big Time

Getting Microsoft certified only entails benefits. According to Microsoft, technical specialists that attained their badges see an INSTANT spurt in their salary while also being entrusted with more responsibility by supervising peers. So what are you waiting for? Use Exam-labs.com’s effective & reliable exam dumps to demolish the Microsoft MS-300 test alongside MS-301 and clutch onto your Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate badge. Then, enjoy thriving in this fast-paced realm known as the IT industry.

Renewable Energy in Palestine

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High population growth, increasing living standards and rapid industrial growth has led to tremendous energy demand in the Palestinian Territories in recent years. The energy situation in Palestine is highly different compared to other countries in the Middle East due to non-availability of natural resource, financial crunch and unstable political condition.

Palestine is heavily dependent on Israel for meeting its energy requirements. Almost all petroleum products are imported through Israeli companies.  Israel controls energy imports into Palestine and thus prevents open trade in electricity and petroleum products between Palestine and other countries.

Current Scenario

Energy is increasingly becoming unaffordable for people living in Palestinian areas due to rampant poverty and widespread unemployment. Ironically, fuel and energy costs for Palestinians are one of the highest in the region. The Palestinian power sector is entirely dependent on imported power supply, 88% from the Israel and 3% from Jordan and Egypt. 

Egypt supplies merely 17MW of electrical power to the Gaza Strip while 20MW is supplied to Jericho by Jordan’s state-utility firm. Exploitation of renewable energy resources is required at a mass-level so as to ensure a cheap and sustainable source of energy to the Palestinians. The major renewable energy resources in Palestine are solar, geothermal and biomass. The Palestinian Energy Authority is currently in the process of launching the bid for solar and wind energy resource mapping and geospatial analysis. At the end of 2012, renewable energy contributed merely 1.4% in the energy mix, though Palestine is targetting 10% clean energy installed capacity by the year 2020.

There is high potential for solar energy in the Palestine, with a daily average solar radiation of 5.4 kWh/m2 which should encourage its use for mass applications like cooking, industrial and domestic heating, water pumping, rural electrification, desalination etc. Although geothermal energy potential in Palestine has not been quantified yet, there has great deal of interest in geothermal energy due to the path-breaking efforts of Ramallah-based MENA Geothermal. Being an agricultural society, Palestine has appreciable amount of animal manure, crop wastes and solid wastes which can be utilized for generation of biomass energy. 

Solar Energy

Solar energy can be a major contributor to the future Palestinian energy supply, with its high potential in the area. Palestine receives about 3,000 hours of sunshine per year and has an average solar radiation of 5.4 kWh/m. Domestic solar water heating (SWH) is widely used in Palestine where almost 70% of houses and apartments have such systems. Infact, Palestine is one of the leading countries in the field of SWH for domestic purpose. SWH is made locally in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with a production rate of about 24,000 units per year which is considered to be sufficient for the Palestinian market. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems are yet to take off in Palestinian areas due to high costs associated with such systems.

Geothermal Energy

The heating and cooling requirements of Palestinians can be met by judicious exploitation of geothermal energy, as shown as Ramallah-based MENA Geothermal.  The company, founded by Palestinian entrepreneur Khaled Al Sabawi has put Palestine of global geothermal map by devising a simple but ingenious geothermal heating and cooling system. The company, founded in 2008, has made swift progress and has been instrumental in developing a wide range of commercial and residential projects in Palestine and Jordan. In summer, the temperature below the earth’s surface is lower than atmospheric temperatures, and in winter it is higher. MENA Geothermal capitalizes on this by burying pipes below ground. Water pumped through these pipes then capture the temperature to feed the building’s heating and cooling system.

A geothermal system utilizes the energy from the sun, which is stored in the earth, to heat and cool homes and buildings. Typically, electric power is used only to operate the unit’s fan, compressor and pump. The geothermal system essentially uses the stable temperature of the ground at a specific depth for heating in winter and cooling in summer, providing clean energy and reducing energy costs.

Biomass Energy

Biomass energy is predominantly used for heating purposes and constitutes approximately 15% of Palestinian energy supply. Being an agrarian economy, Palestine has a strong potential for biomass energy. There is good potential for biogas generation from animal manure, poultry litter and crop wastes. In addition, organic fraction of municipal solid wastes is also represents a good biomass resource in Palestine. The Gaza Strip alone produces more than 1300 tons of solid wastes.

Conclusion

Palestine can reduce reliance on imported energy carriers by deployment of clean energy systems, especially solar, geothermal and biomass. Palestinian areas has large alternative energy potential which can be harnessed by a futuristic energy policy, large-scale investments and strategic assistance from neighbouring countries like Jordan and Egypt.  Renewable energy can lay a strong foundation for an independent Palestinian state, generate employment opportunities, alleviate poverty and provide a visionary approach to the dreams of Palestinian youths. 

Desert Locusts Are Swarming With Greater Ferocity

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The latest outbreak of locusts over eastern Africa has been ongoing since the beginning of this year. It is considered by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN as the worst outbreak of locusts in 70 years. The threat of the desert locust is extreme urgent as it’s a major threat to the food security in the region. Bearing in mind, that this region is extremely vulnerable to the predominant subsistence lifestyle.

It also appears that new breeding may have occurred in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia which will intensify the infestation. The question that are foremost in minds of ecological scientists and agriculturalists is what is the relationship between climate change and the locust infestation? Is there a correlation and is it manageable?

Locust numbers diminish by two main process: through migration or through the natural occurrence of mortality. The desert locust is typically found in the semi-arid and arid deserts of Africa, and in the Near-East and South-West Asia. These are regions that usually receive less than 200 mm of annual precipitation.

But over the past two decades, temperatures have been rising significant above the long-term average temperatures. These hotter conditions appear to be giving rise to more aggressive. More destructive swarms of locusts. This would also imply bigger swarms of locusts which are totally devastating across eastern Africa. Higher temperatures are also associated with above normal rainfall. The numbers show that some of the fastest warming countries on the globe are in Africa. Rainfall in some areas within this region have been 400 per cent above normal rainfall. These two factors, temperature and moisture and favouring increased breeding of the locust. These increased rainfalls are attributed by the intensified Indian Ocean dipole. And this meteorological phenomenon is enhanced by climate change globally.

Therefore, the basic ingredients for a natural disaster tending to biblical proportions maybe very near at hand.

Africa is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change and any aberration from what would be labelled as typical or normal weather patterns. The vulnerability of this large land mass is due to the overall low levels of socio-economic development. People live depend on subsistence farming. When there is limited rains, extreme or prolonged high temperatures, severe weather systems, subsistence farming lifestyles are extremely vulnerable to any changes in climatic factors. They are already highly vulnerable to conditions of poverty, but such a natural occurrence of a swarm of locusts ensures their poverty for the following seasons. They lack the resources to be able to overcome such devastation in the next season.

The desert locust in their vast numbers ravage the crops, devour the wild plant life depriving both humans and animals of basic food supplies. These means that both food crops and animals are wiped out. Their whole livelihood disappears and places them on the starvation timeline. These subsistence farmers do not have the means, resources or the equipment to manage or control such infestations.

The sizes of the swarms are so massive. The preventive treatment process would need to be actioned much earlier in the season and is dependent on expensive organophosphate chemicals, pesticides that are applied on vehicle-mounted sprayers or by aerial spraying. Knapsack and back mounted hand-held sprayers would be just too ineffective.

There is research into biological control or non-chemical control. But with the spatial extent of these swarms plus the number of individual creatures makes control measures a massive challenge. Plus the fact that the locust is mobile and can move quite rapidly from location to location. The current research is more focused on insect growth regulators. This is in preference to widespread spraying of pesticides which may also target beneficial insects that are active in fruit pollination or as companion species that manage and control less invasive plant eating species. Also, aerial or ground sprayed pesticides are also a threat to human health.

People and birds can and do eat locusts but the number of the insects is so immense, that its not manageable by natural enemies. This is not a viable control measure.

The number one threat from a locust invasion is food security. The primary concern and basic need are to be able to provide food to those areas devastated by the insect invasion.  Whether forecasting can warn or alert regions that may be subjected to atypical occurrence of the swarms such as the recent locust infestation in the Middle East where the shamal winds carry the locusts across Saudi Arabia into the neighbouring countries such as Bahrain and Qatar.

The big organizations such as FAO are set up to provide early warnings of the locust situation and forecast weather conditions that might enhance the breeding conditions or the movement of such swarms. But this is an alert or warning system regarding imminent danger. There is advanced technology whereby farmers can use solar dyers to harvest their crops earlier and so preserve a significant portion from an early harvest because of the potential onset of a locust attack. But this is cost prohibitive for subsistence farmers and villagers.

The situation is fearful for the local communities who are very aware of the imminent threat of starvation from loss of crops and animal livestock. Their hope is severely targeted. The outcome is dire.

Practical Ways to Repurpose Your Mattress

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With the increased focus on going green to help save the planet, more people are looking for mattress recycling options, and while recycling your mattress is an excellent idea, why not consider repurposing your mattress instead? Repurposing your mattress is another way to save it from the landfill and, if you use one of these practical ways to repurpose it, you’ll have a new item to enjoy in your home as well.

ways to recycle your mattress

Make a Comfortable Pet Bed

Turning your old memory foam mattress into a comfortable pet bed is a great way to get more use out of your mattress for its intended purpose. After all, your pet deserves to have a comfortable place to lie down and commercial pet beds, especially those made out of memory foam, can be very expensive. Trim your mattress down to an appropriate size for your pet and add a washable cover. Your furry four-legged friend will thank you!

Create a Patio Table

Strip your inner-spring mattress down to its springs, paint them with rust-free spray paint, and add a base made out of wood or metal to create a funky patio table. You can leave the springs exposed to have instant cup holders or you can cover them with a sheet of plexiglass to have a smooth tabletop surface while still being able to see the innersprings. You can even cut the springs down to different sizes and shapes to create even more whimsical outdoor tables.

Create a Vertical Garden

Converting your innerspring mattress springs into a vertical garden makes use of space that would normally not be used. Strip the fabric away from the springs and set the springs up on their side against a wall. Place pots or other types of containers in each spring, fill them with soil, and plant your herbs, flowers, or small vegetables. This is an idea that will work both inside and outside your home, but if you do it inside, make sure you also have a drainage system for water.

eco-friendly-sleep

Make Stuffing for Pillows

A memory foam mattress is made of the perfect material for pillows and other soft items like stuffed animals, cushions, and unique art projects. Shred the memory foam mattress into small pieces and put them into zippered pillow cases to create pillows or seat cushions. If you know any sports fans who have to sit on those hard bleachers to watch games, a gift of a lightweight padded cushion they can easily bring with them will be much appreciated.

Check marketplaces like Craigslist or Etsy for people or companies who might need your shredded-up memory foam mattress for their craft or work projects. Many people make stuffed animals or other items that need a lightweight stuffing material. You can also donate it to school art programs to give students more material to create with.

Conclusion

Recycling your mattress is usually the first thing that comes to mind when you’re trying to keep your old mattress out of the landfill. But it certainly isn’t the only option. Try one of these mattress repurposing ideas or come up with one of your own for a comfortable pet bed, a unique furniture piece, a space-saving garden, or a versatile craft material.

9 Tools You Need to Thrive on Your Exams

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According to studies, roughly 16-20% of students experience high levels of exam anxiety. Another 18% have it on a moderate level. But the truth is, whether it’s moderate or high, it still interferes with your ability to do your best during the test.

The good news for all students is that there are many practices that help ease the stress before a test day. Moreover, if you complement these stress-management practices with the right tools, you will be able to nail any exam like a pro. In this guide, we will give you a list of essential exam prep tools (both digital and others) that will help you ensure success!

Digital Exam Prep Tools for Students

Digital Exam Prep Tools

1. WritePaper

The first and primary issue with exams is that there never seems to be enough time to prepare for them. When you are in college, you are challenged with dozens of papers, projects, and other academic assignments with tight deadlines. And even with a big test ahead, you won’t be freed from other tasks. Luckily, all it takes is to say, “please, write my paper for me,” and experts from WritePaper will come to your rescue. This tool is a reliable academic help platform that will help you keep up with your current tasks and also get more time to get ready for an exam.

2. HippoCampus

The next app on our list is also meant to make the most out of your study days. It features a broad collection of multimedia resources on levels from middle school to college and for a variety of subject matters. HippoCampus specializes in visual learning materials like animations, videos, simulations, etc. If you are more of a visual learner, it will definitely help you train your memory and retain the studied information better.

3. MarinaraTimer

This app is basically a timer designed for more effective time management. MarinaraTimer utilizes the well-known Pomodoro Technique to help students be more productive during their study sessions. Using this app, you will add more structure to your test prep routine and, thus, will be able to process and retain more information in less time. It will help you organize your sessions into short 25-minute work periods divided by 5-15-minute breaks for rest. Just give it a try, and you’ll see how helpful it can be!

4. MyStudyLife

Many students get worse exam anxiety and attain poorer results due to a single reason – they are not organized enough and tend to procrastinate. If that sounds like you, our next suggestion is something you should try! MyStudyLife is one of the best planners for college students. It helps you keep better track of your assignments, deadlines, test dates, and other important things. With its help, you can make a plan for everything you do, including exam prep, and do it more effectively than ever.

5. Evernote

Finally, the last digital tool every student needs to thrive on tests is EverNote. This famous app makes note-taking a piece of cake. Using it, you will be able to take more effective notes during your classes, organize them based on a subject, and access them whenever you need. As a result, you will have plenty of good notes and study materials to get ready for important exams.

Other Handy Exam Prep Tools

While a professional paper writing service, Evernote, and other digital tools from the list above will definitely help you get ready for and nail any test, there are also other tools that might come in handy.

Namely, here is what we recommend keeping at hand:

6. Study Guides

The study guides provided by your professors are the best for getting ready for an upcoming test. Such guides can help you focus your study efforts and make sure you understand all the key concepts. However, even if your professor didn’t supply you with a guide, you can find one online and use it to your benefit too.

how to write like a pro

7. Practice Tests

After you take enough time to study the main concepts and facts, it’s never a bad idea to put yourself to the test. Taking practice tests will help you get an idea of what to expect on the actual exam and identify areas where you need to improve. Besides, such a practice will help you reduce anxiety.

8. Highlighters

When studying for an exam, be sure to keep a few highlighters at hand too. Using them, you can highlight the most important information right in your textbooks and notes to make it easier to review and retain.

 

9. Good Sleep and Nutritious Eating

Although these two points aren’t exactly tools, they are crucial for thriving on any text. Scientists confirm that poor sleep and eating habits have a devastating effect on your mental health, energy levels, stress, and even brain. Thus, when you don’t get enough sleep or don’t fuel your body with nutritious food, there is no way you can do your best academically. So make sure you sleep well and provide your body and brain with healthy food to succeed and keep your energy levels up during exam time.

The Bottom Line

Exams always sound like something terrifying to students. Nevertheless, they aren’t so scary if you have all the right to prepare for them well.

From bags of highlighters to a good night’s sleep – all methods are worth it if they help you concentrate, feel confident, and succeed. So use this article as your checklist to thrive on your exams!

Is Engineered Wood Flooring Good For The Environment?

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Having become more aware of their lifestyles and the impacts they have on our ecosystem, people around the world are now becoming more environmentally conscious. They are now striving to lead greener lives that leave minimal carbon footprints. Of the many steps taken and the changes that have been made in a bid to save the environment, one of the lesser talked about topics is the use of engineered wood flooring instead of normal hardwood flooring in homes.

environmental benefits of engineered wood flooring

Hardwood vs. Engineered Wood: What’s The Difference?

While hardwood flooring brings a warm and classic feel to homes regardless of the form they take, they are not sustainable. In order to produce them, countless trees are chopped down and forests are made to look barren which consequently fuels the current environmental crisis.

Although similar to hardwood flooring in appearance, Engineered Wood Flooring is made from a range of derivative wood products which are produced by binding or fixing the particles, fibres, strands, veneers or boards of wood together with adhesives or other binding methods to form composite material. While there are different types of engineered wood flooring, here are the most common ones:

Plank Flooring

Mostly used in kitchens and toilets, plank flooring is an imitation of hardwood flooring. You can find this specific type of flooring that comes in strips in a number of styles, each resembling different types of wood, from oak, hickory and more. It is a great option for any home!

Chevron Wood Flooring

Chevron wood flooring gives off a stunning ‘V’ pattern. The ends of the chevron planks are cut at a 45° angle in order for the ‘V’ pattern to be created when installed. Chevron wood flooring makes homes look cosy yet aesthetically pleasing.

chevron-wood-floor

Herringbone Wood Flooring

Herringbone wood flooring is the traditional style of laying parquet blocks. The blocks are a lot smaller than the usual flooring planks and the ends are cut at a 90° angle so that the pattern will stagger rather than create a ‘V’ shape as chevron wood flooring does. When installed, herringbone wood flooring creates a distinctive zigzag pattern that is visually stimulating.

Versailles Panels

Versailles panels are a classic! Owing its name to the stunning Chateau de Versailles in France, Versailles panels consist of squares that are connected together in what appears as an interwoven net of wood strips within a wooden frame, leaving a luxurious impression.

versailles-panels-wood-flooring

Despite the enriched ambience it creates in homes, is engineered wood flooring good for the environment? Compared to hardwood flooring, engineered wood flooring is unquestionably a lot more environmentally friendly.

How Is Engineered Wood Flooring Good For The Environment?

Now let us examine how engineered wood flooring benefits the environment and protect the natural resources.

Healthy forest regeneration

Engineered wood flooring saves certain trees from becoming endangered or extinct. The trees used to make hardwood flooring grow much more slowly than the trees used to make engineered wood flooring.

By making use of smaller trees from well-managed woodlands, engineered wood flooring saves old growth as well as slow-growing trees from becoming endangered or extinct, leaving them all for the future generations to appreciate and enjoy. In fact, demand for engineered wood flooring will encourage forest owners to prioritize healthy forest regeneration.

Its production creates little to no pollutants

The veneer that is used to make engineered wood flooring is sliced rather than cut with a saw. This process produces almost no sawdust, which means that it creates little to no pollutants as by-products and makes use of almost all of the veneer to make the flooring.

It reduces the need for replacement

Although hardwood floors are durable, they are susceptible to damage if they are exposed to too much moisture. If the wooden planks start to wear out, you will need to change them or else they risk further damage.

Engineered wood flooring, on the other hand, can withstand moisture. Not to mention, if a replacement is required, it is easy to remove the planks that are damaged and replace it, which greatly reduces the overall amount of wood you use. Engineered wood flooring is definitely a greener option. If you are in search of the perfect flooring that suits your home and the environment, engineered wood flooring is the best option.

About the Author

This article was written by Martin O’Callaghan of Wood Flooring Ireland who are strive to provide high-quality, environmentally friendly wood flooring to the Irish market.