SERIOUSLY BAD EFFECTS OF SMART PHONE ADDICTION

You constantly look at it. When you aren’t around it, you feel anxious, and when you have it, it’s all you can think about. Yes, we’re talking about your smartphone. Our obsession with mobile gadgets has become epic — one in every five people in the world own a smartphone these days. And now there are a handful of new syndromes that come with that addiction.

1. Text Claw and Cell Phone Elbow
"Text Claw" is a non-medical term used to describe all of the finger cramping and sore muscles that come from continuous scrolling, texting, and gaming on smartphones. An even more common side effect: Using your phone too much can cause inflammation in your tendons and enhance existing conditions, like tendinitis and carpal tunnel. Similarly, "Cell Phone Elbow" describes tingling or numbness in ring and pinky fingers after bending your elbow for long periods of time. 

If your non-stop smartphoning has you feeling sore and weak, do some stretches. Put down the phone, then try bending your wrists backward, putting your hands together like a prayer and pushing down. Then, doing some wrist flexes. If you experience pain for longer than a week, try applying heat. Or better still, see a doctor.

2. iPosture and Text Neck
Slouching over your phone for hours at a time is ruining your neck and hurting your back muscles. “iPosture" or "Text Neck" are just two of a few phrases doctors throw around to describe the excessive stress on neck muscles. According to a study of young adults in the U.K., 84% of those tracked experienced back pain during the last year, mainly due to being hunched over smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Fixing your posture can relieve lower back pain, and limiting your phone use can alleviate neck strain. While it seems awkward, try to hold your phone directly out and in front of your face, not on your lap where you might need to look down for minutes at a time.

3. Computer Vision Syndrome
Staring at the tiny font in your texts and scrolling through dozens of tweets can lead to eyestrain, blurred vision, dizziness, and dry eyes. And blurred vision plus sore neck muscles can also cause headaches.

If you’re experiencing eye discomfort, make your phone’s font size bigger. Mark Rosenfield, O.D., Ph.D., told Men's Health that phone users should try to hold their phones at least 16 inches away from their faces. Every few minutes look up from your screen at something far away for short breaks, and don't forget to blink.

4. Nomophobia
Short for “no-mobile-phone phobia,” this is exactly what it sounds like: the fear of being without your cell. According to a study of 1,000 people in the U.K., 66% of the population fears losing or being without their phones at any given time. Some of the symptoms of nomophobia include anxiety or negative physical symptoms if you have lost or cannot use your cell phone, obsessively checking to make sure you have your phone with you, and constantly worrying about losing it somewhere. Interestingly, the study found that women suffer from this more than men.

If this sounds like you, experts suggest employing common anxiety-relieving relaxation techniques like yoga and deep breathing.

5. Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome
No, you didn't just get a text message! A professor at Indiana University found that 89% of the undergraduates in her study experienced phantom vibrations when their phones weren’t actually vibrating. The study also found that students who were dependent on text messages and social media updates were more anxious when their phones weren't really vibrating.

A good way to break the addiction? Try shutting your vibration function off and commit to only checking your phone during designated hours. If you have to keep your phone with you, place it in your bag instead. And try to resist checking your bag every five minutes. Otherwise, you might become the first case of Phantom Bag Vibration Syndrome.

SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER

THE RAT RACE WE ALL RACE AGAINST

Many individuals grow up having dreams of ending a cycle of poverty in their lives and family background. Many start well but along the line are influenced by false practices that make them believe they will be regarded as rich by following that trend. Before I dissect into this topic I make no firm guarantee that I am a professional or elite that has succeeded in getting rich or driving poverty out of my doorsteps. Saying this will be a fallacy. Now that I have made this point clear I will say that this content was inspired from a book in the series of Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Have you ever wondered why many people are always in debt and just asking for a mere US$300.00 will be like a war between North Korea and the United States of America? Well that’s because all they have acquired is liabilities that they are made to believe are assets. Before going further I will like to explain in a lay man’s language what assets and liabilities are. From the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki made a clear distinction of those two terms very simply. He explained assets as anything that puts money in your pocket and liabilities as anything that takes money out of your pocket. So simply puts, assets brings you additional income whiles liabilities drains you of money. So take a closer look at your home, what is draining money out of your pocket and what adds money to your home. Some will have a long argument over what they believe to be assets that are really liabilities, but the earlier you make the decision the better your future will be secured. And of course without connecting to a power source such as a Supreme Being your future is shaky. So whiles acquiring financial knowledge it is also crucial to be connected to a power source.

Now I will try and give practical examples of what a lot of people consider assets that are really liabilities. There is nothing wrong in building a house or buying a new car. Many young people after getting a job, dream of doing this first. In a country where the cost of renting a house keeps on escalating, people always dream of owning their own houses. But in building the house does it really brings you additional income, that’s if you plan to stay in yourself. Where did the money for the building come from? Was it a mortgage that your bankers promised will pay for itself that you will end up working your entire life paying for? If it was a gift well, then you have crossed a big hurdle. Now after building that house what really goes into that home is another ball game all together. Talk of bills that you work overtime at your work place to pay. Some even end up taking additional jobs just to pay bills. They receive their incomes which their bank will deduct that mortgage from and bills can consume almost up to 60% of the remaining amount. The rest is used for buying foodstuffs for the home and with nothing to pay for tuition fees of the kids if any they run back to their bankers for an educational loan for their kids. Well this cycle is what is called the “Rat Race” .Their kids will end up paying for these educational loans if the parents are unable to pay up in time.

Have you ever wondered why smart phones gets cheaper as they become popular? Well the real question you should be asking is that what really happens after buying that smart phone that you cherish so much. Have you ever wondered how much you spend on data? Research have shown data as smart phones gets more popular, the cost of using data as compared to voice have increased at a very high rate. People now consume 5 times more data as compared to voice. This is because a smart phone comes alive with the internet. But have you ever wondered what happens when your smart phones comes alive with the internet? (That is a question for a whole new content later) consider how much you spend a week in buying airtime just to browse. And you all will agree with me that if not for Wi-Fi, using mobile data on a smart phone is extremely expensive. But in a country where internet penetration is still developing one has no option but to rely heavily on mobile data. All these expenses are liabilities that drain money out of our home.

Now for those who just buy a car to please a couple of friends or neighbor you thought I have forgotten about you. Well here is yours. You just took a loan from your bank just to buy a car you can hardly afford to use. Of late the price of using a car has quite become expensive. Take a look at cost of fuel and other lubricants to keep the car running. All these without a steady flow of income, aside that salary of yours will also drain money out of you. The question you should always ask yourself is that can I really afford to use a car, not just buy a car. That 10 years loan that took from your bank will also turn your life into a race as you take additional jobs just to pay off that loan.

Now let us also look at assets with the same examples above. A car can be an assets based on the definition of assets. An asset is anything that puts money into your pocket. So taking a loan or buying a car with your savings can become an asset for you if it brings you income. A house can also be an asset if it also brings you income in the form of rent. That smart phone that you use can also be an asset if you find a way to generate income with it.

So again look around your home, what is really draining you of money and what brings you income. That is a question for you alone to answer

SAMSUNG SMART VILLAGE

Samsung one of the best and affordable producer of the one the best smart devices in the world is embarking on a project in West Africa. This will be the first of its kind in the sub-region. The project known as the Digital Village will be in the Volta Region of Ghana. This digital village will be in the Volo suburb of the Region.

The project, which is part of the company’s Citizenship Programme, has already been launched in South Africa, Ethiopia and Gabon. In Ghana, Samsung will partner with the government, local health services and international stakeholders including UNESCO to set up a sustainable project.

The village will use solar energy to improve healthcare delivery and education. It will also help local traders develop their business through the use of sustainable and low-cost alternative energy source.

The village will comprise of a Solar Powered Internet School (SPIS), Solar Powered Tele-Medical Center (SPMC), Solar Powered Health Centre (SPHC) and Solar Powered Generator (SPG).

The Solar Powered Tele-Medical Center will provide healthcare to inhabitants of remote villages. The SPIS is a solar-powered mobile classroom designed to meet the basic education needs of the community, especially in remote rural areas that lack access to energy.

Harry Park, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, said the company expects these facilities to “have a positive impact on education and healthcare delivery in Volo and the surrounding communities.”

FABRICATED FACTS ABOUT EBOLA YOU SHOULD KNOW

Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever (fever that also comes with bleeding) that is for the most part very scary, especially given the fact that it has an outstanding death rate of up to 60 percent and has very horrible effects to the body of a human being. Over the years, since its discovery, many myths and misconception about the disease have popped up that have further heightened and sent everyone in frenzy in fear of the deadly virus. In this article, we will have a look at some of the myths and beliefs that are wrongly being upheld by quite a large number of people over the years.

Transmission through the air. This could not be any further from the truth. The Ebola virus can only be transmitted and spread through bodily fluids or by consuming meat from an infected bat or any primate that is not cooked properly. When someone comes into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person such as blood, urine sweat and semen and even in some cases, saliva, they can contract Ebola disease. However, there are no records of the disease being transmitted through air or even through water.

Ebola is a virus that morphs quickly and it could therefore eventually become airborne. A very important fact to note about the Ebola virus is that unlike other viruses known to man, it does not change as fast as we might be tempted to think and as a result, the possibility of it mutating and becoming airborne eventually is a very far-fetched myth.

There is a shortage of cure and vaccines meant for Ebola. To be honest, there are no licensed drugs or vaccines that could cure the Ebola virus. However, there is currently an experimental serum known as ZMAPP that could be in the future act as a vaccine or even a cure. However, far from that, patients who contract the disease have to be taken care of and watched closely and the patient’s system supported and rehydrated as the case may be. So in essence, it is not wrong to attribute survival of Ebola infected people to quality supportive treatment.

Ebola can be treated with antibiotics. Ebola is caused by a virus and not bacteria. As such, there is no antibiotic that can cure the disease as they are meant to cure diseases caused by bacteria. In addition, onions, condensed milk and mangoes cannot do the trick either.

 Death is a sure thing for those who contract the disease. While there is no sure cure for the disease at the moment, contracting the disease does not necessarily mean that one have to die. Yes the death rate is 60% and in some cases up to 90% but this is not 100% now is it? With intensive support and care, one can survive, live through the disease and tell the tale.

Ebola turns your internal organ to liquid leading to bleeding through the orifices. This statement is not entirely true. While Ebola symptoms may include bleeding from the nose, ears, eyes mouth and practically any orifice, this does not happen to about 80% of the patients. And most importantly, the virus does not liquefy the internal organs. It however, leads to multiple organ shock and failure which leads to death. The organ failure is as a result of the organs not receiving sufficient supply of blood as a result of weakened blood vessels.

Even after getting cured from Ebola one can still pass it on. The truth of the matter is that only the people who show signs and symptoms of the disease can spread the disease. Therefore after being cured from the disease, one is not able to pass the virus to other people as they do not have the virus in them anymore. However, it should be noted that a man who is cured from the Ebola virus can still spread it to other people through his semen for a period of 7 weeks after his recovery.

Medical teams are the ones responsible for the outbreak of Ebola in Africa. With the recent outbreak of Ebola in the Western part of Africa, there have been claims that medical teams are responsible for the outbreak of the virus. This could not be any further from the truth. The Ebola virus resides in bats. However, despite the fact that bats are the natural habitat for the virus, primates can still get infected and humans can contract the virus from handling the infected primates.

Ebola is the deadliest disease there is. Well, it is true that Ebola disease could be very deadly; however, it is only a myth that it is the deadliest. There are far more ruthless diseases that have claimed more lives all over the world than Ebola.

This is the first major Ebola outbreak. The latest Ebola outbreak sweeping across West Africa is not the first major outbreak and since it was first diagnosed in the year 1976, there have been several outbreaks in various parts of the world such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Guinea.

Credit: BuzzNigeria.com