Author: Laura

Garlic

Posted on | by Laura

Common Names: garlic

Latin Names: Allium sativum

Background
  • Garlic is the edible bulb from a plant in the lily family. It was traditionally used for health purposes by people in many parts of the world, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Japanese, and Native Americans.
  • Currently, garlic is used as a dietary supplement for many purposes, including high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the common cold, as well as in attempts to prevent cancer and other diseases.
  • Fresh garlic, garlic powder, and garlic oil are used to flavor foods. Garlic dietary supplements are sold as tablets or capsules. Garlic oil may be used topically (applied to the skin).
How Much Do We Know?
  • A great deal of research has been done on garlic, but much of it consists of small, preliminary, or low-quality studies.
What Have We Learned?
  • There’s conflicting evidence about whether garlic lowers blood cholesterol levels. If it does, the effect is small, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol that’s linked to increased heart disease risk) may not be reduced at all.
  • Garlic may be helpful for high blood pressure, but the evidence is weak.
  • Some studies indicate that certain groups of people who eat more garlic may be less likely to develop certain cancers, such as stomach and colon cancers. However, garlic in dietary supplement form has not been shown to help reduce the risk of these cancers. The National Cancer Institute recognizes garlic as one of several vegetables with potential anticancer properties but does not recommend using garlic dietary supplements for cancer prevention.
  • There’s not enough evidence to show whether garlic is helpful for the common cold.
What Do We Know About Safety?
  • Garlic is probably safe for most people in the amounts usually eaten in foods.
  • Side effects include breath and body odor, heartburn, and upset stomach. These side effects can be more noticeable with raw garlic. Some people have allergic reactions to garlic.
  • Taking garlic may increase the risk of bleeding. If you take an anticoagulant (blood thinner) such as warfarin (Coumadin) or if you need surgery, tell your health care provider if you’re taking or planning to take garlic dietary supplements.
  • Garlic has been found to interfere with the effectiveness of some drugs, including saquinavir, a drug used to treat HIV infection.
Keep in Mind
  • Tell all your health care providers about any complementary or integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Disclaimer/ Disclosure

This information contained in this article is for information purposes only and. and it is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. According to the NCCIH the mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH nor do I endorse any products or methods used.

Cinnamon

Posted on | by Laura

Common Names: cinnamon, cinnamon bark, Ceylon cinnamon, cassia cinnamon

Latin Names: Cinnamomum verum (also known as Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Cinnamomum aromaticum (also known as Cinnamomum cassia)

Background
  • There are many types of cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), grown primarily in Sri Lanka, is known as “true” cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum), grown in southeastern Asia, is the most common type sold in North America.
  • Used as a spice for thousands of years, cinnamon comes from the bark of various species of cinnamon trees. The leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of cinnamon trees have also been used in cooking and for medicinal purposes. There are differences in the chemical composition of cinnamon products produced from different species or parts of cinnamon trees.
  • Cinnamon has a long history of use in traditional medicine in various parts of the world, including China, India, and Persia (Iran).
  • Today, cinnamon is promoted as a dietary supplement for diabetes or for irritable bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal problems, as well as other conditions. Cassia cinnamon is promoted for topical use (application to the skin) as an insect repellent.
How Much Do We Know?
  • There have been many studies of cinnamon, especially for diabetes. However, the results of the studies are difficult to interpret because it’s often unclear what type of cinnamon and what part of the plant were used.
What Have We Learned?
  • Studies done in people don’t clearly support using cinnamon for any health condition.
  • A 2019 review of 18 studies of cinnamon supplementation in people with diabetes suggested that cinnamon could reduce blood sugar but didn’t have a significant effect on hemoglobin A1C, which reflects blood sugar levels over a longer period of time. However, it’s unclear whether these findings are meaningful because 10 of the studies didn’t identify the type of cinnamon used, and 8 of the studies were judged to be of low quality for other reasons.
  • It’s uncertain whether cinnamon is helpful for weight loss or for controlling blood levels of cholesterol and related lipids. There’s not enough evidence to show whether cinnamon is helpful for irritable bowel syndrome.
  • It’s unclear whether cassia cinnamon is effective as an insect repellent.
What Do We Know About Safety?
  • Cinnamon supplements appear to be safe when consumed in the amounts commonly used in foods as a spice or flavoring agent. Use in larger amounts or for long periods of time is sometimes associated with side effects, most commonly gastrointestinal problems or allergic reactions.
  • Cassia cinnamon contains a chemical called coumarin, which can be harmful to the liver. Some cassia cinnamon products contain high levels of this substance. In most cases, consuming cassia cinnamon doesn’t provide enough coumarin to cause significant problems. However, prolonged use of cassia cinnamon could be an issue for sensitive people, such as those with liver disease.
  • Little is known about whether it’s safe to use cassia cinnamon during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Ceylon cinnamon may be unsafe for use during pregnancy if consumed in amounts greater than those commonly found in foods. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use Ceylon cinnamon during breastfeeding in amounts greater than those commonly found in foods.
  • Cinnamon should not be used in place of conventional medical care or to delay seeking care if you have health problems. This is particularly true if you have diabetes.
Keep in Mind
  • Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

Disclaimer/ Disclosure

This information contained in this article is for information purposes only and. and it is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. According to the NCCIH the mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH nor do I endorse any products or methods used.

Aloe Vera

Posted on | by Laura
Aloe Vera

Common Names: aloe vera, aloe, burn plant, lily of the desert, elephant’s gall

Latin Names: Aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis

Background
  • Aloe vera’s use can be traced back 6,000 years to early Egypt, where the plant was depicted on stone carvings. Known as the “plant of immortality,” aloe was presented as a funeral gift to pharaohs.
  • Historically, aloe vera has been used for a variety of purposes, including treatment of wounds, hair loss, and hemorrhoids; it has also been used as a laxative.
  • Two substances from aloe vera, the clear gel and the yellow latex, are used in health products today. Aloe gel is primarily used topically (applied to the skin) as a remedy for skin conditions such as burns, frostbite, psoriasis, and cold sores, but it may also be taken orally (by mouth) for conditions including osteoarthritis, bowel diseases, and fever. Aloe latex is taken orally, usually for constipation.
How Much Do We Know?
  • There’s not enough evidence to show whether aloe vera is helpful for most of the purposes for which people use it.
What Have We Learned?
  • Aloe latex contains strong laxative compounds. Products made with aloe were at one time regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives. In 2002, the FDA required that all OTC aloe laxative products be removed from the U.S. market or reformulated because the companies that manufactured them did not provide the safety data necessary for continued approval.
  • There’s some evidence that the topical use of aloe products might be helpful for symptoms of certain conditions such as psoriasis and certain rashes.
  • There’s not enough high-quality scientific evidence to show whether topical use of aloe helps to heal wounds.
  • There’s not enough scientific evidence to support aloe vera for any of its other uses.
What Do We Know About Safety?
  • Use of topical aloe vera is likely to be safe.
  • A 2-year National Toxicology Program study on oral consumption of nondecolorized whole leaf extract of aloe vera found clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in male and female rats, based on tumors of the large intestine. Another study in rats showed that decolorized whole leaf aloe vera did not cause harmful effects. This suggests that a component called aloin, most of which is removed by the decolorization process, may be responsible for the tumors seen in rats fed nondecolorized whole leaf aloe vera. More information, including what products are actually in the marketplace and how individuals use different types of aloe vera products, is needed to determine the potential risks to humans.
  • Abdominal cramps and diarrhea have been reported with oral use of aloe latex. Also, because aloe latex is a laxative, it may reduce the absorption and therefore the effectiveness of some drugs that are taken orally.
  • People with diabetes who use glucose-lowering medication should be cautious if also taking aloe orally because aloe may lower blood glucose levels.
  • There have been a few reported cases of acute hepatitis in people who took aloe vera orally. However, the evidence is not definitive.
Keep in Mind
  • Tell all your health care providers about any complementary or integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Disclaimer/ Disclosure

This information contained in this article is for information purposes only and. and it is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. According to the NCCIH the mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH nor do I endorse any products or methods used..

Job Seekers Action Plan

Posted on | by Laura

With so many people out of work right now, and their future employment situation uncertain, what better time than right now to prepare for your ideal job utilizing free Internet resources!

Step: 1 – Career Assessment Testing:

Career assessment testing helps identify your interests and matches them to careers, it can also help you determine what types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

Skills Matcher

The Skills Matcher helps you identify careers that match your skills. You answer 40 questions to rate your level in a range of skills. Then you see a list of careers that are good matches for your unique set of skills. From there, you can explore the careers on your list of matches. You can learn about average pay, typical education, and the outlook (new job opportunities expected) for jobs in that field. You can use your list of occupation matches to explore career ideas that may be right for you. At a glance you can see some important information about each of these careers:

  • Career: Click on the name of any career to find more detailed information about that career.
  • Annual wages: See the median salary for each career. Median wage means one-half of all workers in this occupation earn less than this wage and one-half earns more.
  • Education: See the level of education usually needed to enter this career.
  • Outlook: Here you can see whether the career listed is expected to be in demand. Each career is either:
  • Bright (new job opportunities are very likely in the future)
  • Average (a small number—less than an 8 percent increase—of new job opportunities are likely in the future)
  • Below average (new job opportunities are less likely in the future)

MySkillsmyFuture enter your previous occupation into my skills in my future to see types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

MySkillsmyFuture enter your previous occupation into my skills my future to see types of careers your skills and experience will transfer to.

Additional Career Assessment Testing Tools

 The Interest Assessment– is a quick 30-question assessment that identifies your interests and matches them to careers.

Use the O*Net’s tool for career explorationand job analysis! O*NET OnLine offers detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more! O*NET’s Interest Profiler a 60-question assessment that measures your interests and shows how they relate to careers

Step: 2 – Research Potential Job Qualifications and Pay Rate:

The Occupational Outlook Handbook: Use the Occupational Outlook database offered by the US Department of Labor to do more detailed research on what type of duties will be expected of you, education, Skills or training you will need, the pay rate, and the outlook for the occupation you are interested in pursuing

Step 3 – Create a Resume and Cover Letter

A successful job search begins with a carefully planned resume and cover letter. The following tutorials as listed on your-tube are compliments of Goodwill Industries a non-profit organization.

Step 4- Follow the Steps to Apply for a Job Online

Step 5 – Submit Your Resume To Online Job Sites:

When Feeling Burdened – LOVE

Posted on | by Laura

Know that we are called by God to do many things but if we do the things he calls us to do, save souls, testimony, or tithe under a yoke of burden– we are blocking HIS blessings.

Rather what God calls us to do we do in Love, in Christ, so that we may receive Gods, grace, and glory.  When I give of myself the way God calls me to do– it will be given back to me.

If you sow seeds in love, you reap a love harvest.  If you sow in fear or burden- you receive a harvest full of more fear and burden.  You receive a blessing and blessing come from Love, so if your sowing in LOVE you can receive a blessing because blessings are given to us by the Love of God.

When you live under the burden of circumstances— you empower the curse for failure.  Ask God for the excitement!!! 

We are not to be burdened because Christ’s blood which was shed by Jesus’ love, because he could have stopped it if he really wanted to–but for the Love of God he said THY WILL be done. 

It was in his love the blood was shed.  When you do things grudgingly–you block the blessing.

Think about why you LOVE GOD.  Be motivated not by NEED but by Love!  When HE sees your motivation in Love, he is compelled to deliver you LOVE.  Everything we do should be from the circle of Love, with the thoughts of “how would Love respond”  Every action done in love- harvests love.

2 Cor 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  When we give in Love, it destroy ALL YOKES.  When compassion moves, burdens are removed.

The answer to ALL QUESTIONS are Love- God will not abandon love, God loves, and love amplifies the power given to us by God.  God will not prosper you financially and leave you sick.  He is a god of completeness.  Love impacts all areas of life, the body, the soul and your finances.

Prosperity will fatten your neck so the yokes of bondage wont even fit on you!!!  Solomon was moved by the Love of God to offer 1000 burnt offerings, and the glory of the Lord filled his house.  Say I love you what can I do for you today.  I tithe and will never not tithe because love motivates me to act like HIM.

How do we beat the enemy– LOVE.  No fear, no selfishness- but rather in all love we can receive his blessing.  Where you end up in life is based on what you do and if you do what you do in fear or necessity, or in love for God and his word.  LOVE IS OUR WAY OF ESCAPE.  It provides the confidence we need to build great faith, love makes you SURE.

We must remember WE DO NOT HAVE THE POWER- to cancel out Gods love.  He is Love, he loved you at your worst moment in life, and in your best moments!  He never stops so we should not waste time doubting God’s Love.

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Matthew 6:25-27

As God provides for his creations which he loves, WE ARE greater than birds- and God already knows what we need to be happy-and he is able and willing, in fact DESIRES to bless us! LOVES TO DO IT.  Exercise faith, and confessions because he loves you, Lions will roar in your life to make you fall away from what God would have you do, but when you operate in love, you realize that your circumstances are just the NOISE of the lions or the enemy-Lions CAN’T eat me because God loves me so they’ll have to wait for something else cause they CAN’T and God says they WONT have me, and we are not to focus on what is seen but rather what is unseen, for FAITH is the substance of all things hoped for the evidence of all things unseen Hebrews 11:1.  FAITH IS THE SHIELD IN THE ARMOR OF GOD- say– “I might not have what I want right NOW– BUT I WILL HAVE IT!”

Be put in remembrance that God LOVES, and we have to talk about IT, his LOVE.  Love is an anointing that we have been blessed and empowered with.  Love is our covenant with Jesus, who is our channel to GOD, as we are HIS channel to the unbeliever. 

We are given this LOVE by grace and in love.  Stir it up, and we will make the enemy mad- He’ll make all kinds of noise about it- but he can’t harm because of God’s Love.

 Ps 122: 6 -9 say:

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure.

7May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels.”

8For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

9For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

We receive the ultimate blessing of Love when we receive Jesus’ death as a purification, and we receive that IN LOVE. 
If your feeling burdened say Lord help me to want to— where I don’t want to–.  You can be honest with God.  But instead of sowing words like I can’t or why do I have to or I don’t want to– PRAY FOR THE WANT TO and then receive the WANT TO in LOVE as God gives in Love.

Submitted by Sean of Victory Fellowship
Allentown, Pa

A Life Worthy of the Gospel..

Posted on | by Laura

The Bible always stresses a balance between the content of one’s beliefs and the resulting conduct in one’s life. A good example is found in Ephesians 4:1-3. “I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (NET).

Paul admonishes us to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called. He means that we must live a life worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Our practice should equal the teachings of our doctrine. We should take great pains to see that our lives are lived in perfect balance. The Biblical principle for living the Christian life is quite simply stated: The believer puts into daily practice the principles of the Word of God by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In order to live a balanced Christian life, there must be good sound Biblical teaching. I have never seen any mature Christian who did not have a good understanding of the teaching of the Word of God. Practice without sound Bible teaching will go off in any and every direction. We can never attach too much importance to solid Biblical doctrine.

How can a Christian live a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ if he does not know what the Christian life is all about? At the same time we must never detach the importance of putting into practice what we understand to be true. How then do we live a life worthy of our calling? The Christian life is not the same thing as the culturally accepted norms of the local community in which we live. The world is antagonistic to the Christian life (1 John 2:15-17). God has called us out of the darkness into his marvelous light  (1 Peter 2:9b NET).

How tragic when you can’t tell the difference between the standards of the culture and the local church. We were spiritually bankrupt, emotionally in bondage, and morally corrupt. However, when we were saved God awakened us to a new life and gave us the power to live that new life. We are now spiritually alive. But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! (Eph. 2:5 NET) The apostle Paul wrote, So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! (2 Cor 5:17 NET)

Therefore, the apostle Paul admonishes us to, Be completely humble. That is the opposite of arrogance and self-assertion. The world tells us to stand up for our rights. Be assertive. Demand respect. The Bible says, Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself (Phil. 2:3 NET). The world philosophy pulls in one direction, the Holy Spirit insists on another. Do you put other people’s needs and interests before your own?

Are you out for number one? We need to be gentle with people. The word Paul uses for gentle is power under control. Meek doesn’t quite give the sense of the original. A gentle person is a strong person under God’s control. This is what it means to be a Spirit filled. A Spirit-filled believer is a Spirit-controlled person. Jesus was this kind of a person, and he set an example for us. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls(Matt. 11:29 NET).Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5 NET). That will be true because all who are not will kill themselves off in power struggles.

We must be patient. Literally, it means long-tempered. It is the attitude that will never give in when the going gets tough. It sticks with it and reaps the rewards. It is the attitude that never admits defeat in disappointments and discouragement but persists to the end. It is the attitude that refuses to retaliate, bears insults and injury without bitterness and complaint. Patience comes over a long time of suffering. I doubt if anyone is a patient who has never suffered physically, emotionally, or spiritually in life. We learn patience through the things we suffer (Rom. 5:3).

God is very patient with us and we need to become like him.

Bearing with one another in love is how we respond to the unloving behavior of other Christians toward us. How do we put up with one another? What is our typical response when other people do us evil? What is my attitude when I see two Christians having problems in their relationships? What is my attitude toward problems in a church? Do I do as Paul suggests here, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? (v. 3 NET)Paul is saying the Holy Spirit has already given us this unity when we put our faith in Christ.

We are not called upon to create this unity, but to “keep the unity. Pride destroys this unity in the Spirit. Overpowering self-assertion destroys vital relationships with other believers. Being short-tempered, rude, and non-extending our love to those who act ugly to us destroys all effort at keeping this unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Churches grieve the Holy Spirit just as individuals do (4:30-31). Let’s be determined to walk in the Spirit and keep ourselves under his control.

Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006

Vision and Destiny..

Posted on | by Laura

Whenever  God has sought to accomplish something in the earth for the sake of His Kingdom, He has always chosen a man, given him faith, vision, and provision for it, and has surrounded him with people who are committed to that cause. Although the people will love and respected the man, it not just about the man; it’s about the vision. I am not sure if most of us have an understanding of the importance of vision. I really pity the person who has no vision or cause and is not connected to any.

Jesus was the greatest visionary ever, but He had 12 men whom He trained to run with His vision ( Matthew 10:1 , 2). Gideon had 300 (Judges 7:7 ). Without a vision, the people will perish, but without the people, the vision will perish. The bottom line is; we all need each other.

Every vision must be nurtured, watched over and protected. It is the responsibility of the people to conduct their lives in an orderly fashion and be sure that they are not a hindrance to that cause (Luke 9:46-48 ). All it takes is one self-centered person who is not immediately dealt with to cause confusion and draw more attention to themselves than the vision. The vision we are a part of must be greater than our petty jealousy, envy, and strife.

 Many people have walked away from where the Lord has positioned them over an argument or disagreement that was petty and unprofitable. They allowed their condition to become greater than the vision they were a part of. Many of these same people have been unfruitful in their walk with God for years because of their refusal to forgive and refocus on purpose, cause, and vision. There is more to vision than preaching, singing, casting out devils, healing the sick, or winning people to Christ. We must live the kind of lifestyle that the Lord will say; well done!  Whether it is the local church vision, missions ministry, traveling music ministry, or an evangelistic ministry; you must have a forgiving attitude, a humble heart, and a love walk that overlooks the shortcoming of those around you.

You must be careful (prayerful) not to separate yourself from the person or the vision that is connected to fulfilling your destiny. For every person in the body of Christ, there is a vision and an anointing that the Holy Spirit will,  cause you to be attracted to for your good. When you get connected to the ministry with the vision that you should be a part of, stick to it like glue! The anointing on that ministry will cause you to experience great joy, peace,  illumination, and a sense of belonging and purpose.

But beware! The enemy will try to manipulate situations and your emotions to cause you to walk away. Don’t do it! Even if you have to pray through the night, shed some tears and turn down your plate and fast for a few days to conqueror your emotions and your imagination, just do it. There is no perfect church, perfect ministry, perfect vision, or a perfect leader. Don’t waste your time looking for one; it doesn’t exist! But, there is a vision, an anointing and ministry for you and your imperfections, and when you find it, you will know it. Remember, you must become a runner with your part in the vision. Speak with your leader and make yourself available. Be submitted, be faithful, be committed, be on time. As
you run with your part in the vision, your destiny will be fulfilled.

Bishop
McIver

Bishop/Pastor/Author/Publisher/Entrepreneur/Radio Producer/Conference Speaker

Overflowing Life Christian Center, Allentown, Pa

Where To File Your Taxes for Free

Posted on | by Laura

What Is IRS Free File?

The IRS Free File Program is a public-private partnership between the IRS and many tax preparation and filing software industry leaders who provide their brand-name products for free. It provides two ways for taxpayers to prepare and file their federal income tax online for free:

Guided Tax Preparation provides free online tax preparation and filing at an IRS partner site. The partners deliver this service at no cost to qualifying taxpayers. Only taxpayers whose AGI is $73,000 or less qualify for a free Federal tax return using IRS Free File guided tax preparation.

Free File Fillable Forms are electronic federal tax forms, equivalent to a paper 1040 form, you fill out online for free. If you choose this option, you will need to know how to prepare your own tax return. It is the only IRS Free File option available for taxpayers whose income (AGI) is greater than $73,000.

How to Access The Free Tax Programs:

To take advantage of the free federal tax return, you must select an IRS Free File provider from the Browse All Offers page or your Online Lookup Tool results.

To prepare and file your return, you need to create an account at the IRS Free File provider’s website that you accessed via IRS.gov. 

Please note that an account created at the IRS partner’s commercial tax preparation website does NOT work with IRS Free File: unless you access the provider’s Free File site as instructed above.

About Free Open-Source Applications

Posted on | by Laura | Leave a Comment on About Free Open-Source Applications

Free speaks everyone’s language! And Free open-source software applications freely available on the Internet can save you thousands of dollars. Free open-source software applications consist of a host of different types of applications offered throughout the Internet.

You can find just about any type of free alternative application to commercial brands you need to operate your business more efficiently. Everything from website building applications to desktop applications to a host of other applications you can use for small business productivity.

The whole idea of free open-source software is to produce comparable software without the expense. The benefits of using Free Open Source Software can include decreasing software costs, increasing security and stability (especially in regard to malware), protecting privacy, and giving users more control over their own hardware. Utilizing free internet software and applications can enable anyone and everyone, the same opportunity to start a high-profit potential business on the Internet, starting on only a shoestring budget!

FREE OPEN-SOURCE VS COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

Open Source software has gained a reputation for reliability, efficiency, functionality that has surprised many people in the software engineering world.  Open source means choice and freedom not to mention how much money you can save over commercial brands. Proprietary software is software that is owned by an individual or a company (usually the one that developed it) like Microsoft. There are almost always major restrictions on its use, it can be expensive and is under restrictive copyright and the source code is usually hidden from the users.

The difference between free software created by the open-source communities and commercial software sold by vendors is support.

Open-source software projects have different support options. Open-source support is available through the developer’s forums and is one of the biggest arguments or complaints people have against open source programs, the lack of support due to some questions going unanswered or the long wait for answers!

FREE SOFTWARE LICENSE

A free software license is a notice that grants the recipient of a piece of software extensive rights to modify and redistribute that software. These actions are usually prohibited by copyright law, but the rights-holder (usually the author) of a piece of software can remove these restrictions by accompanying the software with a software license that grants the recipient these rights.

Software using such a license is free software as conferred by the copyright holder. Free software licenses are applied to software in source code as also binary object code form, as the copyright law recognizes both forms.

Some free software licenses include “copyleft” provisions which require all future versions to also be distributed with these freedoms. Other, “permissive”, free software licenses are usually just a few lines containing the grant of rights and a disclaimer of warranty, thus also allowing distributors to add restrictions for further recipients.

While historically the most widely used FOSS license has been the GNU General Public GNU v2, in 2015 according to Black Duck Software. The benefits of using FOSS can include decreasing software costs, increasing security and stability (especially in regard to malware), and protecting privacy. Free software licenses and open-source licenses are used by many software packages.

Free, open-source operating systems such as Linux and descendants of BSD are widely utilized today, powering millions of servers, desktops, smartphones (e.g. Android), and other devices. For the most part, open-source software in most cases is freely available software that anyone can use. Free and open-source software (FOSS) is computer software that can be classified as both free software and open-source software.

Anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software.

Setup a Website For Free With WordPress

Posted on | by Laura

Look no further than WordPress – to setup your online business. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS), a free Web-based software program that anyone can use to build and maintain an interactive blog or Website. It is the world’s most popular website platform and the answer you’re looking for when you want to build an attractive, sophisticated blog or website, online store, social network, or specialty site —without having to learn any special coding. WordPress can also save you hundreds of dollars on your website development needs because it is free, easy to use, and produces professional results.

Website Or Blog
WordPress is primarily known as a blogging platform, and is the most popular blogging system in use on the Web, at more than 60 million websites. Due to the “Pages” feature, you can use WordPress to build static web pages. A static website contains Web pages with fixed content. Static sites are the most basic type of website and are the easiest to create. Big Name Brands such as Variety, Sony Music, and the New Yorker, all use WordPress to power their websites.

WordPress.org or WordPress.com?

You have WordPress.org and WordPress.com, both WordPress.org and WordPress.com offer powerful website-building tools, but they have some key differences. Here’s a breakdown:

WordPress.org Is The Self-Hosted WordPress:
WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress. This means you need to purchase your own web hosting and domain name. The cost of hosting your own WordPress site can be as little as 3.99 per month.

Full Control and Flexibility:
You have full control over your website, including the ability to install any themes. Thousands of WordPress themes exist, some free, and some premium (paid for) templates. Themes enable to change the look and feel of your site quickly and easily! WordPress users can install and switch between themes with the click of a button. Themes allow users to change not only the look but the functionality of a WordPress website or installation without altering the information content or structure of the site.

Control Over WordPress Plugins
You can control the plugins you add to your WordPress site. A very popular feature of WordPress is its plugin architecture which allows users and developers to extend its abilities far beyond the core installation. WordPress Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress- to create extraordinary Websites!

WordPress has a database of over 26,000 + plugins, each of which offers custom functions and features enabling users to tailor their sites to their specific needs. Plugins can be used to run e-commerce sites (online store), full-sized social media-rich business websites, social networks, e-learning sites, membership sites and so much more quickly and easily!

WordPress Multisite 
WordPress Multisite is a WordPress feature that will enable you to run multiple  WordPress sites with multiple users from within one WordPress installation. All the installations make up a network. WordPress MU makes it possible for you to host your own blogging communities, social network, Marketplace such as Esty you an have Multi-vendor sites as well control and moderate all the blogs and sites from a single dashboard.

Monetization Options:
You can run ads, sell products, and monetize your site in any way you choose without restrictions.

With WordPress.org you are responsible for managing updates, backups, and security of your website. There are hosting companies that take care of the backups automictically and there are plugins that help with security, and updates are normally automated with one click.

WordPress.com- is a hosted service provided by Automatic

  • Hosted Platform: WordPress.com is a hosted service provided by Automatic, the company behind WordPress. They handle the hosting for you.
  • Ease of Use: It’s easier to set up and manage, making it a good option for beginners who don’t want to deal with the technical aspects of running a website.
  • Plans and Pricing: WordPress.com offers various pricing plans, including a free plan with very limited features and paid plans that unlock more features and customization options, WordPress.com can be costly compared to the self-hosted WordPress.org
  • Limited Flexibility: While you can use themes and plugins, the choices are more limited compared to WordPress.org. Customization options are also more restricted on lower-tier plans.
  • Maintenance and Security: WordPress.com takes care of updates, backups, and security, so you don’t have to worry about those aspects.

Summary

  • WordPress.org: Best for those who want full control, customization, and the ability to monetize without restrictions. If you’re looking for maximum customization and control, WordPress.org is the way to go.
  • WordPress.com: Offers less flexibility best for those who prefer a simpler setup and management process with hosting included. But can be far more costly compared to the hosted version WordPress.org

Choosing between the two depends on your needs and how much control you want over your website.