By Mwebe Morgan

Photo by Curtis Loy from Pexels

Are there heroes in our country or villains inside us?

You read my thoughts, and it was your greatest asset.

I grew up in a turbulent country that vicious tortures or kills its citizens, young and old, mothers and fathers!

You reminded me of better days ahead, but the gloomy days continue to shed the blood of the innocent,  always preventing a fresh wave of transformation.

We live in a purgatory of thieving political elites!

You always did what needed to be done. I will be eternally thankful to you for teaching me how to write, do arithmetic, work hard, and be a wonderful athlete. 

You preached about being honest, in my relationships with others.

You always reminded me of a man's ethos.

 I crossed the line; I fought in school, because of minor provocation or insult. 

You remarked that a man's brain determines his outcome, and not his fists or strength. 

You also stated that a pen was more formidable than a sword or an arrow. 

Likewise, you reminded me that the world has changed because of selfless people like authors, politicians, poets, musicians, scientists, activists, and teachers, not because of military might or dictatorship.

These outstanding leaders disseminated democratic values, a love of freedom, and the right to express oneself. 

My country measures a man’s value in a cup of maize grain. 

Papa! I shouldn't say these things. Just imagine a bush rat costing millions of taxpayers’ money and a goat costing a billion shillings! 

All the foreign aid for socioeconomic infrastructure gets absorbed in shoddy work, resulting in poor and decaying hospitals, roads, schools, and marketplaces. 

We sold our country to faceless and soulless foreigners. 

You were a tough parent, not letting anybody catch you off-guard, but you also had a lot of fun and merry-making, and your co-workers referred to you as “Peron.”

 You admired the overthrown Argentine president, Juan Peron, for his support of democratic values.

Papa, you always narrated how Peron adored his people, regardless of their political creed. 

You also liked the well-known Evita, as well as the song that her countrymen sang when she died. 

Your radio blared incessantly, “Don't cry for me, Argentina.”

Our country has no patriotic song to rally us! 

I do recall your fondness for Kadongo Kamu - our folklore, country music, reggae, and modern music. 

That ancient gramophone of yours used to wake us up every morning for chores, so I learnt to listen and recount the themes of the songs.

 These singers' Afro rhythms and acoustic guitars gave life to a generation's memory. 

We will never forget singers like Masagazi, Ssebaduka, Mutebi, Wamala, Kawalya, and Mugula. Others like Luyima, Ssebata, Basudde, Kafeero, Kasozi, Nakakawa, and Nabiryo still live in our hearts. 

Forgive me, for trading your prized LP collection of tape cassettes for my beloved Sony Walkman. 

I can still hear Dolly Parton's shrill and squeaky voice in my brain as if it were yesterday.

No one ever forgets Porter Wayne Wagoner, Don Williams, or Kenny Rogers' boisterous voices. 

Bob Marley wooed generations of millennials and the Wailers' thrilling beats and melodies. 

Some may argue that deceased musicians leave enduring memories today! 

The deaths of your children, Eve, Job, Romeo, and Peter, deeply upset you. 

The loss of your mother, Jaaja Kate, caused you the most pain. 

This loss, depressed, you for years, and your wife, my mother, Cecilia, died recently. 

You accepted this change. Death is a transitory emotion, a shadow. 

You know it is a lonely and meandering journey, but it is one that we must all take because it is the final stage of the life cycle. 

Our fallen kin, may you rest in peace! 

You will find yourself in a beautiful, green, and paradisaical meadow. 

Is this the modern country you envisioned, papa? 

This country belongs to a few men in military uniforms. It is no longer a country for the youth and generation Z. 

Our “liberators” continue to obliterate democracy and other liberties. 

They glued themselves to political positions until death exonerated them. 

This is the charade that the “liberators” created for the uninformed masses in the 1980s.

 There are tribal feelings and partisanship, and a corrupt regime propelled by its military.

Some covert and incorrigible insiders are already agitating for a hostile but “peaceful” takeover. 

This is where I get off your bus, Papa!

 This is Bus Duniya! A bus that sacrifices this country's cream and future. 

Heroes and heroines go undetected; it is the villains who stand out! 

We can’t breathe, for Prince Metternich listens in.

We honour our papas who pave the freedom road for us. 

Tomorrow will bring a new dawn, and our country will be free.

By Mwebe Morgan

Photo by nappy from Pexels

Since March 2020, the coronavirus outbreak, unemployment claims in the United States have reached an all-time high. With 3.3 million new filings, a modern high. With so many people out of work in the country right now, and millions more living in shelters, finding work is becoming increasingly difficult. The worldwide unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent in 2021, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year.. 

While there are countless websites that promote both legitimate and unscrupulous work-from-home opportunities, the keyword in the employment adverts is “remote or home-based.”

There has never been a better moment to look for a remote job than right now. According to FlexJobs, a membership service for job searchers with a database of over 57,000 employers, the percentage of remote vacancies climbed by 12 per cent in 2021 over 2020.

The majority of remote jobs are often customer service or sales marketing duties that can be done very easily via telework. Companies are learning what additional sections of their workforces can flourish remotely as they expand their work-from-home policies and, in some cases, establish permanent ones.

FlexJobs career services manager, Brie Reynolds, the most remote jobs are for HR and recruitment positions. During the Great Resignation's record-high turnover, there is a great demand to hire HR personnel who can hire additional employees.

Allowing HR personnel to work remotely allows organizations to recruit them faster and extend their applicant pool outside their regular area. 

Accounting and financial jobs are the fastest-growing categories for remote ads on FlexJobs. According to Reynolds, this indicates that firms require “numbers people” to juggle ever-changing budgets under pressure in the recovering pandemic economy. 

According to the FlexJobs database, 11% of remote positions are entry-level, 60% require mid-level experience and 20% are manager-level.

“Businesses are evolving at a quick pace, and they are attempting to employ individuals who can forecast what will happen in the future and how to plan properly,” Reynolds adds.

As with any job search, you'll want to have a polished résumé and be prepared to look for work online. These 15 platforms will assist you in getting started:

1. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is one of the most comprehensive and widely used websites for finding remote jobs. Members can look for remote employment based on their career field. One of the most useful features of the FlexJobs platform is that it displays the posting date for each job, as well as whether the position is full-time, part-time, or freelance.

A membership fee is required to access the website's job listings, which may be acquired on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. FlexJobs is presently providing a 50 per cent discount on membership rates by entering the code JOB at checkout. This offer is active now through April 30th.

2. Upwork

Upwork is a freelancing marketplace for professionals in industries such as writing, graphic design, and web development. The website assists professionals in finding assignments, communicating with clients, and being paid. If you're a new freelancer or working in a new industry, you may gain useful experience without having to pitch clients all the time.

For two decades now, Upwork pioneered new ways of working with businesses in finding more flexibility and connecting talent to prospective clients. Upwork has both free and premium membership programs for freelancers. “Is Upwork excellent for beginners?” is a typical question among freelancers. Yes, Upwork may be a terrific place to start your freelancing career, since you can search through millions of jobs and pick the ones that are right for you. Upwork provides payment protection on hourly and fixed-price contracts, as well as secure, in-platform payment solutions.

Note: On Monday, freelancing platform Upwork Inc (UPWK.O) retracted its year-end projection after stopping services in Russia and Belarus, citing danger and uncertainty as Moscow's assault on Kyiv continues.

3. Fiverr

Fiverr is a website where employers may discover freelancers. Because price packages are determined by freelancers, the site offers varying prices, allowing businesses to limit their search results by budget. The platform is completely free to use. Is Fiverr a decent place to start for beginners? Fiverr is an excellent place to start if you're new to freelancing since you can sell any digital product or service for $5 or less. On Fiverr, clients may hire freelancers to complete tasks such as business work, technology, programming, audio, music, animation, videos, translation, writing, digital marketing, design, and graphics. You can also list gigs that are linked to lifestyle and enjoyment.

4. Remotive

Remotive is a job board that advertises software development, customer support, and product development positions, among other things. Accessing Remotive's employment board is free, and all ads include a posting date and a link to the company's internal job posting if you want to apply.

5. Guru

Guru is a freelancing service that pays freelancers on an hourly basis for their work. Signing up for a membership on the website is the only way to obtain it. Most folks with basic online knowledge will find the procedure simple. The basic membership is likewise free, but you must pay for premium features. 

After successfully registering on Guru and creating your profile, you can begin looking for appropriate opportunities on the site. Select Find Jobs from the menu and begin your search with terms that reflect the talents or services you provide. Guru isn't horrible, but it's clearly geared for opportunities for engineers. Guru has little writing and design jobs, but they're few and far between. The Guru platform does impose a 2.9 percent processing fee on each settled invoice. Users who pay using eCheck or wire transfers, on the other hand, are eligible for a full refund of the processing charge.

6. Freelancer

Freelancer is an online employment marketplace that allows customers and freelancers from all over the world to interact for mutual gain. Individuals or organizations in need of competent support for short-term or long-term tasks can list such projects and invite freelancers to make bids for the work's completion. Because Freelancer has evolved to be the largest freelancing marketplace since its beginning in 2009, you may be certain that it is completely real and not a fraud. If you are a new member, you will receive initially 6 bids per month and win more as you participate in contests. However, you will pay $8 for more bids monthly or annually.

7. Remote.co

Remote.co is a free online job portal that lists positions for remote workers such as developers, customer service agents, designers, sales professionals, and editors. Job postings range from part-time to full-time. The portal will connect you to the firms' internal job postings if you want to apply.

8. FreeUp

FreeUp is a network for freelancers with e-commerce skills, including customer service, social media management, SEO, email marketing, data entry, and other services. Candidates must go through a verification process and interviews before being granted access to the site. When applying, you must include a résumé, portfolio, internet speed test results, and information about your services.

Although FreeUp is a challenging site to join, accepted freelancers will have access to basic, mid-level, and expert level work that may pay anywhere from $5 to $75 per hour. In addition, payments are paid on a weekly basis.

9. Outsourcely

Outsourcely is a platform that links remote freelancers with firms searching for part-time and full-time employees in a variety of fields, including customer service and data entry, as well as project managers, virtual assistants, and email marketers. Outsourcely has a significant edge in that it works with organizations searching for long-term employees rather than those looking for short-term projects. Creating a profile is free, and once done, users may browse job posts.

10. We Work Remotely

We Work Remotely advertises includes full-time and part-time remote employment in a variety of areas, including sales and marketing, design, writing, and education. It is free to use the internet job board. Users may also sign up to have fresh postings in certain sectors delivered straight to their email inbox on a daily basis.

11. Boldly

Boldly links individuals with W-2 work-from-home opportunities, which means that those employed will be classified as staff workers and will enjoy Boldly corporate benefits rather than being contractors. Part-time and full-time opportunities are available, however, Boldly asks employees to be accessible during normal business hours and to work 20 hours each week.

Individuals interested in the Boldly platform must apply and then go through an interview process before being paired with appropriate businesses. Individuals must have at least seven years of work experience in their professional industry or field of specialization, as well as a fast and stable internet connection and solid time management skills, in order to qualify. Following acceptance, Boldly pairs individuals with compatible businesses based on their skillset and expertise.

12. Dice

Dice is a free online job board for anyone working in or looking for jobs in technology. Full-time and contract positions are available. Dice allows users to search for jobs by job title, skill (such as Django or JavaScript), and category (remote jobs is a category). Users may also build free profiles in order to obtain customised job ads based on their likes and skillsets.

13. Textbroker

Textbroker is a free employment network designed exclusively for writers searching for freelance work in content marketing, such as work for companies, small company owners, e-commerce, and social media. To get access to the site, prospective users must first finish a brief piece that assesses their writing abilities. Textbroker then allows users to pick their own tasks on their own time and finished work is paid weekly (as soon as $10 or more is achieved).

14. Remote Jobs Club

Remote Jobs Club is a fortnightly email newsletter that features remote employment in a number of areas, including marketing, content writing, and user experience (UX). If the thought of sifting through hundreds of job advertisements overwhelms you, signing up for their newsletter can reduce the amount of time you'll need to spend looking for remote employment.

15. TranscribeMe

TranscribeMe is a renowned information technology and services firm that specializes in global translation services. It was created in 2011. TranscribeMe pays $20 each audio hour at the moment. Thousands of transcribers have already joined and begun making money by transcribing audio and video files. PayPal sends payment to you promptly. You may request payment whenever you hit $20, and they are handed out every Thursday.

About the Writer

By Mwebe Morgan

Photo by cottonbro: 

Speed reading is the process of quickly recognizing and assimilation of complete phrases or sentences on a page, rather than identifying individual words.

Most of us read something every day, whether it's a news story, a working document, or a novel. Many things compete for our attention in today's fast-paced digital environment, yet you want to read quicker. Reading may be time-consuming and exhausting.

Did you know that the majority of educated people can read between 250 and 400 words per minute with decent comprehension? A regular discussion between two individuals moves at a rate of 150 to 160 words per minute. As a result, normal reading becomes an incredibly difficult operation. Elizabeth Schotter, a cognitive psychologist at UC San Diego, maintains that no human being can read 1,000 or 2,000 words per minute and maintain the same levels of understanding as they would do at 200 or 400 words per minute. Speed-reading strategies can help you read faster and more successfully without sacrificing comprehension or understanding. Improving your reading speed benefits both students and working people by allowing you to acquire information more quickly and with less effort.

Can speed reading help you understand what you're reading? In actuality, you have the option of having both! Did you know that reading quicker might help you concentrate better? Here are 12 tips or strategies to help you become a huge speed-reading machine:

• Skim the text first.

• Read words in chunks

• Avoid travelling back in time

• Stop the inner monologue: Don’t subvocalize

• Word–chunking

• Use a timer on your phone.

• Never reread the words on the page.

• Use your peripheral vision.

• Set a Goal

• Use a marker or coloured corded card.

• Work on improving your vocabulary

• Summarise

• Final Thoughts

Skim the text first.

Reading can be frightening to many, but you read something, skim it from start to finish. Look for sections, essential headings, bold words or sentences, bullet points, and graphics as you browse. Look for significant summaries of the information, particularly at the beginning and end of the chapter. Skimming may sound like you’re doubling the work it takes to read something, but you’re doing the opposite: you’ll now comprehensively understand what the text is about and what topics are most important to focus on. The confusion about the more difficult sections will be less when you reach them. You won’t waste too much time on parts that are not relevant to the central point.

Read words in chunks

Speed reading allows you to grasp more information in less time. You do not have to read every word on the page. Your eye span is really 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) (almost four cm), allowing you to collect up to nine words in a single glance. Use this to your advantage by visually grouping words into “chunks” of three to five words. Scrub your eyes over one section at a time. Before going on to the next section, glean the meaning from the previous one. This prevents you from subvocalizing (you won't have time!) and allows you to skim over a paragraph before going on to the next, without compromising any sense in the text.

Avoid travelling back in time

As you read quicker, you realize you weren't paying attention to the paragraphs you were reading. We have a habit of going back and rereading it. This is so ubiquitous that it has its own term: regression. Regression significantly reduces our reading rates. To avoid regression, you must approach a text with care. Reduce external distractions such as annoying background noises. If you happen to lose track of time, it's typically better not to go back and reread anything. Using the context cues in these paragraphs, you should be able to figure out what the substance of the paragraph was. We may also utilize a method known as gliding, in which you cover each line you read with your hand or a piece of paper, so you don’t have the safety net of going back and rereading.

Stop the inner monologue: Don’t subvocalize

Readers are prone to having an inner monologue, often known as subvocalization. The most difficult barrier to raising your reading speed is speaking the words in your brain as you read.

Don't be concerned if you hear voices in your brain while reading. Though reading in your own voice will take longer, you will be relieved to know that you will get quicker with practice. Teachers educate students to read by saying the words silently in their heads while they read.

When your teachers taught you to read aloud and sound out everything, they were hoping to improve your reading speed. Once you've mastered the technique, your teacher will have you repeat the words in your head. This is how the habit began, and most people continue to read in this manner. It doesn't bother them unless they desire to read quicker. If you want to improve your reading speed, this is the first hurdle you must conquer.

According to Forbes, the average adult reading speed is 300 words per minute.

You don't have to say every word in your brain to comprehend what you're reading. 

Word–chunking

Eliminating the inner monologue is similar to word-chunking. This is the process of reading numerous words at once, and it is essential for reading quicker. These reading strategies are related, but word-chunking is perhaps the most active tool to utilize while working to improve your reading speed.

Even if one has been trained—as described in the inner monologue—to read each word at a time and not miss a single article, a person can take in numerous words at a time. Using your peripheral vision is one method to make this step easier, but we'll get to that in a minute.

Just concentrate on reading three words at one look. Continue down the page in this manner, noting how much faster you finished the whole page of text. You can still analyse and grasp what you read, but it will take much less time.

Use a timer on your phone

Using a timer to put yourself to the test is a good cliffhanger. You will be able to speed up your reading. Set a one-minute timer and read normally as the timer counts down. When the timer runs off, keep track of how many pages you've read.

WordstoPages can assist you in determining how many words you have read. As always, you can use what you've learned and retake the test.

Continue repeating this, beating your previous count each time. Set a daily or weekly goal for yourself and reward yourself when you achieve it. Continue playing this short game, and you'll be able to fast boost your reading speed!

If you observe the average person's eyes while reading, you will see their eyes bounce and flicker around. They do not flow back and forth just as they should. This is because the ordinary person—and you, too—returns to previously read words. This inhibits you from speeding up your reading.

Use your peripheral vision

Congratulations! You've arrived at the crucial stage that links everything together. This isn't the final step, but it's a crucial one.

Use the strategies described above to examine and comprehend several words at once. Instead of chunking them into smaller sets of words, try reading one line at a time. This entails staring at the centre of the line and reading the remainder of it using your peripheral vision. Scanning the page in this manner will reveal that you not only understand what you read, but you did it in record time.

Set a Goal

Photo by Streetwindy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-chair-beside-table-reading-a-book-2912515/

Holding yourself accountable will guarantee that you complete your reading and timed examinations. Set a goal for yourself to read a certain number of pages each day or week, and stick to it. After you've met your goal, reward yourself with something nice. It's not going to harm anyone!

Be an avid reader—read more

The cliché “practice makes perfect” is actually quite true. Any professional (artist, musician, etc.) frequently practices their craft.

The same should be done by the reader. The more you read proficiently, the faster you'll become. Theodore Roosevelt read one book before breakfast and three or four more in the evening, in addition to newspapers and pamphlet-style material. Few knew how lengthy these volumes were, although they appeared to be of normal length. Use your Theodore devotion to propel you toward your own goal.

Use a marker or coloured corded card

Do you find your vision slipping and sliding through the page as you read? Place an index card below each line, and slip it down as you read. This will ensure you stay focused on reading one line at a time, rather than flitting your eyes about and taking nothing in.

Work on improving your vocabulary

As you read, do you notice your gaze slipping and sliding over the page? Insert an index card beneath each line and slide it down as you read. This will keep you concentrated on one line at a time, rather than darting your eyes about and taking in nothing.

Summarise

Asking yourself, “What did I just learn?” at regular intervals throughout the book can help you avoid regression and digest what you just read. Some individuals mentally summarise the concepts. Those ideas are considerably more likely to remain with them throughout their reading. You can establish greater connections between concepts in the text if you are a quick reader. Finish a text by producing a succinct, bulleted summary of what you learned. Making a note of anything helps you remember it long after you've moved on to the next text. It also allows you to reflect on the text's core topics, ensuring that you understand what you're reading.

Final Thoughts

Reading quicker is without a doubt one of the most effective strategies to enhance focus, and it is not only for students. Anyone who wants to engage in more meaningful conversations and comprehend complicated issues quickly might benefit from increasing their reading speed. By using the suggestions in this article, you may simply reduce the amount of time you spend reading while increasing your understanding level! Do you have any other suggestions about how to read faster? Please let me know in the comments!