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Ah, YouTube finance gurus. The self-proclaimed experts of the financial world who make a living by giving "financial advice" to those who are searching for the secret to riches. But let's be real, the only thing most of them are really experts at is spouting lies and promoting fake deals to unsuspecting viewers. These gurus will tell you that they have the secret to making millions of dollars with just a few clicks of a button. They'll promise you the world, but in reality, all they're doing is lining their own pockets with your hard-earned cash. They'll sell you courses, books, and access to exclusive "investment opportunities" that are nothing more than scams. And why do people fall for these lies? Because these gurus know how to play on people's emotions. They know that we all want to believe in the impossible, and they exploit that desire to make a quick buck. They'll use flashy cars, private jets, and luxurious vacations as proof of ...

Pipelining is a popular practice among companies to continuously identify, attract, and recruit potential candidates for future job openings. While this process may seem like a convenient way to fill open positions quickly, it can have a negative impact on candidates and, in my opinion, it should be carefully regulated, because it seems to be a deceptive practice in certain circumstances. It really isn't fair to give hope to so many people, especially in this economy, and then leave them in the dark. Pipelining can be confusing for candidates as they may not know the status of their application or what the company's expectations are. Thus, candidates may be left feeling uncertain and unsure about their future. They spend time, effort and even money preparing for interviews, writing cover letters, and tailoring their resumes for a specific job opening. However, when a company pipelines candidates, this time, effort and money can be wasted as the job opening may never materialize...

                                                       Photo credit: Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay Financial education and budgeting are critical skills for young people to learn as they begin to navigate the complexities of managing their money. These skills can help them make informed decisions about how to save, invest, and spend their money, and can ultimately lead to greater financial stability and security. One of the key components of financial education is learning how to create and stick to a budget. It is important to understand that creating a budget is not about depriving yourself of the things you want, but rather about making sure that you are making the most of the money you have. When creating a budget, it is important to start by listing all of your sources of income, including your salary, any...

The art market is a vast and complex ecosystem, with many players and a wide range of interests. As it continues to grow and evolve, so too do the risks of fraud and deception. Art auction houses, which play a central role in facilitating the sale of fine art, can sometimes be complicit in fraudulent activity. One type of fraud that can occur at art auction houses is the sale of counterfeit or fake works of art. This can involve the sale of works that are deliberately misattributed to a famous artist in order to inflate their value, or the sale of entirely fake works that have been created to deceive buyers. Another form of fraud that can occur at art auction houses is insider trading. This can involve auction house employees or insiders with access to sensitive information about upcoming auctions, who use this information to buy or sell works of art at an unfair advantage. A third type of fraud that can occur at art auction houses is the manipulation of auction results. This can i...

With all the layoffs that have been going on recently (even in huge tech companies where no one ever thought this could happen), a lot of highly-skilled people are looking for new professional opportunities. Some of them aren't well versed in the art of interviewing for jobs, so they might put themselves in funny situations like those described below (however unlikely they are): Wearing pajamas to the interview: This might seem like a good idea if you're running late and don't have time to change, but trust me, it's not. Bringing your pet to the interview: Unless the job is specifically for a pet-related position, leave Fido at home. Being too honest: Telling your potential employer that you're only applying for the job because you need the money and have no real interest in the field is probably not the best idea. (This is actually what I did once, when I first started interviewing). Being too casual: Showing up to an interview in flip-flops and a tank top might ma...

Human resource departments play a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation of a company by managing its most valuable asset: its employees. However, HR departments face a variety of challenges that can impede their effectiveness and hinder the success of the company as a whole. One major challenge is the management of employee engagement and retention. High turnover rates usually mean that the company will incur costs with the recruiting and training processes and that there will be disruptions to productivity. HR departments must work to create a positive and fulfilling work environment that keeps employees motivated and engaged, and fosters a sense of loyalty to the company. Another challenge is the management of diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Companies must strive to create an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and heard, regardless of their background or identity. This includes addressing issues of discrimination, bias, and unequal o...

I know this is obsolete now with the new technologies developing at the speed of light, but I think it’s only fair to give my assessment of this product. I bought it in 2007 for around a thousand dollars. It came with preinstalled Windows Vista Home Premium, so I could get right to work. It has an Intel® Core™2 Duo T5250 processor, a hard disk of 120 GB, 5,400 rpm, 1 GB DDR2 RAM (667 MHz), a DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) unit, Intel® GMA X3100, 1280 x 800 screen display, glossy screen, microphone, 1.3 Mp camera, Wi-fi, Ethernet, 2 memory slots, LAN Ethernet, a lot of ports and a lot of other stuff that I don't remember right now. After 12 years it still works just fine! I haven’t replaced the operating system, and I don’t know if I can, since the newer ones probably don’t match the other specifications (except maybe Linux), but I don’t need to. I have a Lenovo now, which I will review some other time, and I use the Toshiba for backup, in case my main machine crashes. I ...

This is a book written by two French psychiatrists and psychotherapists. It helped me a great deal to understand various people in my family or my circle of acquaintances whose behavior was hard to take at times. The personality types discussed here are: people with anxiety disorders, those with histrionic personality disorder, obsessional personalities, paranoids, narcissists, Type A personalities, schizoids, depressives, dependent, passive-aggressive and avoidant personalities. The authors give concrete examples of patients’ stories (of course, without divulging their real names), they make a list of traits for each one of the disorders, so that they’re easier to remember, and they tell us what is advisable and what is not recommended in each case. They also use humor and anecdotes, which makes the book easier to read even for a neophyte like myself. At the end of each chapter there is a short quiz for the readers to see if they suffer from that specific disorder. The causes of these...

My skin is a bit on the dry side (which doesn’t prevent it from breaking out at times). Throughout the years, I’ve used a large array of products: creams, lotions, oils, makeup removers, anti-aging stuff, etc. I’ve selected what works best for me. First of all, I use makeup remover everyday, even if I don’t put on any makeup when I go out. The only makeup remover that I can tolerate is Vivanatura’s “No tears” cleansing cream (Cremă demachiantă “fără lacrimi”) – it is a Romanian product with almonds and silver, consisting in 98,4% natural and natural-origin substances. It cleanses my skin gently and hydrates it, since it contains sweet almond oil. It is the only cream that doesn’t irritate my eyes. Sometimes I use The Pellamar BioActive Acne gel, when I get pimples. After that, I use various natural oils or types of butter. I use a different product per month (or until its recipient is empty). Right now I use pure shea butter. I don’t have a favorite brand, just make sure it is not ...

This is a short fable about the unexpected changes that we have to face in our lives. It takes less than an hour to read, and I decided to do it because it was praised by self-help gurus and various famous people and managers. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. It’s about four characters (two mice and two little people) who live in a maze (a metaphor for one’s life/job/organization/community etc.) and are forced to look for the cheese (a metaphor for what you want in life – a good job/relationship/money/health etc.) when it suddenly disappears. Each of the characters has a different way of dealing with this situation, two of them diametrically opposed – one completely refuses to accept it and to adapt, while another one ventures out on his own and eventually finds new cheese, pausing to write on the walls what he has learned along the way, hoping that this will help the others. Here is an interesting quote: He knew that when you change what you believe, you change what you d...

Pellamar is a Romanian company that creates skincare products containing sapropel – therapeutic mud from a specific lake. It claims to be non-comedogenic and paraben-free, to cleanse the skin, remove impurities and excess sebum without drying the skin. It contains lavender flour extract, which is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds, burns, etc. The mud extract has a hydrating and protective role. It contains key amino acids: alanine, proline and glycine that have the effect of slowing down the aging process. Salycilic acid acts as an exfoliant, deeply cleans the pores and can improve the skin's structure and color. I started using this gel last summer, when the pimples and dark spots and other weird stuff on my skin started bothering me. I use a pea-size amount of product, mix it with a little water and spread it evenly. I leave it on for a couple of minutes then rinse it off with warm water. It doesn’t smell great (due to the mud component) but the sm...