Guest Blogs
Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!
To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.
We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!
Miserable kiddies with a fever and a rash are part of being a parent – I’ve certainly been there with my two daughters.
But when is it something that can be treated at home with some painkillers, water and a cuddle? When is it something that needs to be checked by the doctor?
One of the important diseases that must be seen by a doctor is measles (rougeole in French, Masern in German). This is a serious disease caused by a virus that is very contagious - in fact 90% of non-immune people living with someone who has measles will catch it. The disease is spread by coughs and sneezes, as well as contact with objects such as door handles, toys etc. that have the wet spray from the coughs and sneezes on them.
Here we are, the last stretch before the dreaded final exams. You have worked hard (hopefully) for the last two years and now your efforts are going to pay off. Many of you students out there will be given study leave to revise for your exams, but how should you organise yourself efficiently in order to maximise your time and performance?
First of all, let us understand that no amount of last minute revision will replace consistent work over the entire course. Having said that, if you haven’t felt confident so far or feel that you are ready to tackle those tricky bits, it isn’t too late to put some of it right. Last minute stage frights are good as they give you the boost of energy you need to make it through the final 3 months. The key is mainly organisation. For each subject, list the topics you need to cover and then for each topic, list the sub-topic. This will be enough to get you started as you will have broken down what you need to cover into small, manageable chunks. This also makes it easier to find and work examples for each subtopic. For example, in Physics, lay out the formulae and expand them to show how they connect to each concept, emphasising similarities and differences of when they are applicable. To make sure you have understood how and why to use a particular formula, introduce one change in the example and see how this affects the equation. In History, it can be a list of key events, in which case you could draw a diagram of how they are connected, then use this information to answer a practice question, using 1 or 2 sources for reference.
It’s that time of the year when flowers are blooming, the sun is beaming into your home and you look around and clearly see that you have much freshening up to do.
Here are a few tips to kick-start your spring-cleaning before the busy season of summer begins:
DE-CLUTTERING
Take time to review all your home items purchased over the years. Decide whether you actually need these items, when was the last time you used them and would you actually miss them. You are then ready to put the clutter into 3 categories or boxes:
- Items that must be thrown away
- Items that can be given away or sold
- Items to be stored or put away
Photo courtesy of vitasamb2001, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Gillian Brotherwood, co-founder of Settling Here
Historically, all people had to take medical insurance in the country in which they were employed. However in 2002, a bilateral agreement between the European Union and Switzerland, gave Frontaliers the right to choose which national healthcare system they wished to take and pay into. France, under pressure from Frontaliers, accepted to allow Frontaliers to choose between the French healthcare system, the CMU, or take out a private health insurance. The decision was given initially for a 7 year timeframe. This was extended by a year in 2009 and then again until June 2014.
The majority of Frontaliers (95%) choose the private healthcare option, this is for a variety of reasons, including cost, choice, and availability of services. Private Frontalier healthcare insurance contracts offer a variety of options for people, allowing individuals to choose cover depending on their budget and health care requirements.
This year my blog will be dedicated to interviewing leaders and subject matter experts to help promote healthier work-life balance. With any luck this will enable us to create better relationships, productivity and performance. I am convinced that this is an idea that needs to reverberate from the top and therefore will devote this year focusing on just that…with a little help from my friends!
This month, I have been lucky enough to interview Richard Gerver who has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. The three core principles that underpin Gerver's philosophy are communication, empowerment and impact.
Here he shares some of his thoughts about leadership, communication, empowerment and impact. I hope you enjoy his interview as much as I did!
