We are currently amidst the worst winter for snow since at least nineteen ninety-two. The SE of England, including all the major airports and London’s Underground and bus systems grinded to a halt, forcing millions of commuters to make a bleak decision between deserting their journey or trying to make it by car.

The problem for the car drivers in this position is that they are confronted by the same road circumstnaces that prohibited the public systems from operating in the first place.

It is true to say that the majority mainland European countries cope with much worse conditions than we are presently experiencing, and they do it without any drama. Conversely, to be fair to our Public Transport and Roads establishments we need to keep in mind that we only see conditions like these every 10 to twenty years. More over, the equipment needed to cope with such weather is particularly costly & would involve additional spending that most Rate Payers and Public Transport Users wouldn’t be prepared to pay.

To put this in perspective: how many British motorists have a set of winter tyres, to allow them to drive more safely on snowy roads? And, how many have put a pair of Silicone wiper blades so that they continue to be flexible in extremely icy conditions and resist the solvent attack that results from using winter screen wash? In winter conditions, summer tyres just clog up with snow, so that they rapidly turn into icy slicks. Rubber Wiper blades harden in icy conditions, and when it gets very cold they Fracture. On a cold winter morning, most of us have seen or experienced stiff Car wiper blades that only contact the screen in 1 or two places, leaving the majority of the screen un-wiped just when you need your visibility most.

Before faulting the state of the roads & how modest amounts snow bring the country to a halt, we should all take a look at our cars and ourselves, and see how well organised we are for snowy conditions. For instance, how many of us can really say we:-

Guarantee all the windows are clear of ice, well de-iced and de-misted before we set out that the windscreen washer bottle is topped up, and holds enough de-icer and to avoid it freezing.

Have Sunglasses in the car to cut the glare of low winter sun on the snow.

Have an emergency box in the car having water, high-energy food such as chocolate, extra clothing, a blanket or sleeping bag. A high-visibility jacket is also suggested.

Ensure your mobile phone is fully charged, and that you know the number of a breakdown group if you are a member.

Ensure you have a good torch and Bring a shovel to dig your car out in case you get stuck in snow drifts.

Only those of us who do all the above have any right to criticize the authorities levels of preparedness.

The last few years have been a silent witness to the radical changes that are taking place in the way senior people have approached life in general. The usual convention dictates for most people, upon reaching the age of retirement, to look forward to sitting back, relaxing and reminiscing about the good ‘ol days through the rest of their lives. Major changes have come to that thinking. An increasing number of seniors are waking up to the thought that life still has a lot to offer. So why wait and wither away silently when one can still have so much fun?

This is basically the concept of active adult retirement communities. Seniors who share the same passion and ideologies can come together to live in the company of each other and enjoy the things that they have always wanted to. All men and women who are above 55 years of age are eligible to join such a community. These places make it possible for someone to spend the last years of his or her life without any feelings of desperation or regret.

By joining these active adult retirement communities, members can participate in a number of exciting activities such as biking, hiking, boating, swimming, golf, fishing and plenty more. The possibilities are endless. However, not all communities cover all interests which makes it important for someone to choose a community with care in order to make sure that it caters to his or her specific interests.

Till just a decade back, most old-age homes were located in Florida and Arizona. However, the present scenario is a far cry from all that and has active adult retirement communities all over the United States. It’s your call finally to decide whether you’d want to leave your home state or join a community in your own state.

Staying at active living retirement communities is indeed the healthy way to live. Maintaining an active life is the best way of ensuring that you have the best of physical and mental health. Some seniors are skeptical about their own ability to have such an active life at their age. Senior people thinking of joining such a community need not worry as professional caregivers are always present to take good care of them.

You will be spoilt for choices today as more and more communities are coming up fast to house about seventy-five million men and women. All one needs to do is find the right community to join.

Moving day can be exciting for small children. It can be really scary, as well. Most families will move at least once, but sometimes several times while their children are young. Both the age and personality of the kid will determine how the kid reacts. How the parents handle the move will also have a lot to do with how the kid feels about this big adjustment.

A well planned move will keep the stress level down for the entire family. If you are using a professional moving service, do your homework. Get moving quotes from several different services. Most services offer free moving quotes over the phone so that you can compare rates and get the best deal. If you are moving across several states be aware that some local companies might not travel as far as you need to go. Cross country moving services can give you a long distance moving quotes. Cross country movers may be more expensive, but may be your only option.

If you are not well prepared, moving day can become overwhelming and frantic. Parents who have not put a lot of thought into the move often don’t have the time or energy to devote to their child on this day. This can put the child in a state of unease. A crying child who is scared and unsure can add stress to the parents. Talking with your child about the move several days or even weeks before is a great way to prepare the child for this event. Explain to them that mommy and daddy will be very busy, but that everything will be fine.

When talking to your child, try to explain why you are moving (new job, to be closer to grandma, etc..) Assure them that all their furniture and toys will be coming with them. If they have friends they are leaving behind, get addresses and phone numbers so that your child can keep in touch. This will make the child feel more secure that they can still have a relationship with their friends, even though they are moving.

As a parent, be aware that your child may not be happy about the move initially. The first few weeks can be exceptionally hard for a young kid. They may wish they were still in their old home and neighborhood. They may be easily angered or seem sad and down. Remember that these are normal feelings and are to be expected. Reassure yourself and your child that soon the unfamiliar will become routine and everyone will settle on their own time.

1. Zinc. The mineral zinc, sold as throat lozenges, nasal sprays, and gels, possibly work by preventing the assembly of proteins used an everyday cold virus to reproduce.

Although all the hype about zinc for a remedy of an everyday cold, scientific studies are minimal. It’s said that only fourteen published studies that researched zinc the scientific way, with both placebo and treatment groups. They say zinc throat lozenges, don’t work. One well-designed scientific study stated a positive effect on treating an everyday cold with zinc nasal gel. But the study results have not yet been replicated.

2. Vitamin C. For lots of years, believers in vitamin C have said using this vitamin supplement can stop a cold in its tracks. The belief is partially triggered by scientific studies that find vitamin C affects resistance to virus in animal research.

But in human beings? Experts disagree on this slightly but lean toward the negative. Some say vitamin C has not been proven to lessen the length of an everyday cold. One 2007 research showed that if vitamin C is taken after a cold starts, it doesn’t lessen the cold or make it less severe. But when it is taken daily as a preventive treatment, not just after that first cough, it can very slightly lessen cold duration, by about 8% in adults and by about 14% in children.

Very athletic people, marathon runners, for instance, might cut their risk of an everyday cold in half by taking the vitamin, the study also showed.

But Dr. Gwaltney does not agree. The weight of scientific evidence and the well-done research prove that vitamin C does not prevent colds, says Gwaltney. It could possibly have some mild effect on treating colds.

3. Echinacea. The herbal supplement echinacea, similar Vitamin C, spikes argument among cold experts. Advocates say it’s an immune builder with antiviral properties and other benefits, so it’s good at keeping away colds. However, two recent studies on the natural remedy have yielded conflicting conclusions. In one 2007 research, University of Connecticut researchers came to the conclusion that echinacea decreases the odds of developing an everyday cold by 58% and reduces its duration by 1.4 days. But a previous study, conducted by Gwaltney’s colleagues at the University of Virginia and published in 2005 in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed no benefit from the herb in either reducing the severity of a cold infection or preventing an everyday cold.

Echinacea drew a “no” vote from our three experts — Gwaltney, Blandino, and Owen Hendley, MD, professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Virginia, Charlottesvile.

4. Chicken Soup. Advocates of hot chicken soup, forever as a cold treatment, say it could possibly help soothe inflammation that can make the symptoms worse.

The issue with proving scientifically that chicken soup is effective, says Gwaltney, is discovering a legitimate placebo food to research against it in a scientific way. We were contacted by a soup producer to do a study on chicken soup, he explains. We thought we could use another hot beverage for placebo, he says. But it’s got to be just [like chicken soup]. They didn’t find anything that measured up. Gwaltney calls chicken soup “a waste of time.”

That’s despite the well-publicized report published in 2000 in which researchers reported that chicken soup, which they studied in the laboratory, may have an anti-inflammatory effect on easing symptoms of upper respiratory infections. But the report doesn’t prove chicken soup does anything for cold symptoms, Gwaltney says, because it didn’t include a test of people nor include a placebo for comparison.

Although chicken soup may not actively fight a cold, it can help fight dehydration that can happen when you have an everyday cold or the the everyday flu.

For the information about boosting immune system and how to help you immune system, please visit this blog.

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It was some time ago, but I’ve moved myself several times. Moving yourself involves a lot of work, but saves a lot of money. Moving yourself involves a lot of time, but saves a lot of money. You get the idea…save a lot of money. Nowadays that’s even more important.

One of the best options is to use one of the self pack relocation companies in your area. You can get boxes, wrapping paper, “peanuts”, tape and everything else you’ll need to do the packing from them. You do the packing and then let them know when to pick up your things and where to take it to. Not a bad arrangement. You do the “grunt” work, they do the heavy lifting, literally.

You’ll find many choices if you search for “self pack moving companies” In your area. I suggest you contact three and get a description of what they provide, a quote and references you can call. References are very important. Since this business has a low cost of entry, it’s important to be certain the company you choose has a good reputation and has been successful moving people in your situation.

You can trycompanies that do the packing as well as the moving if you want to compare prices. You’ll still need to be at home when the packers come and will need to monitor their work, so the time you spend on the packing won’t be appreciably different than doing it yourself.

Once you’ve identified your relocater and have your supplies in hand, packing can take as long as you’d like. Of course you need to be very careful with dishes and other breakables. I always overdo the protective packing just to be sure…its fairly inexpensive versus breaking an expensive piece of crystal, for example. Pack heavy items on the bottom and be sure to label the boxes “this side up” and/or “fragile” on more than one side. That way if something happens you can at least use that when you negotiate any damage reimbursement from your relocater. It is very important to number your boxes and keep an inventory sheet with the number of the box and a brief description of the contents.

You may need to ship a vehicle too. I’ve used California auto transport companies and a New Jersey auto transport firm with good success. Just like above, you’ll need to get competitive quotes – which you can do via the web now – and check references. The price to relocate a car varies more than you’d think, but you need to consider how the car is protected as well.

Flat roofing has changed over the years with new and improved materials becoming available to consumers. Years ago there were several common complaints about flat roofing for residential homes or businesses - namely that there were damage prone, plants and dirt would accumulate on them, they were challenging to fix, costly and the roofs would often leak. The industry has moved on and there are now some excellent new products that take care of all these past problems.

As explained at flat roof repair, flat roofs are often used on a residential or commercial roof that has a slight incline of about ten percent. Traditionally flat roofs would have a base and outer coat. There are many different kinds of flat roofing options to choose from depending on what area the structure was built, the materials available, the style of the structure as well as the owners overall vision.

EPDM is a new high quality roofing product. It comes from recycled plastics like supermarket shopping bags, and recycled tires. Thus flat roofing now has a product that is actually environmentally friendly. The EPDM material can withstand temperatures from minus forty degrees to one hundred degrees celcius and show so signs of weakening. It does not crack, split or peel and is resistant to air pollutants. EPDM is also not affected by ultraviolet frequencies or atmospheric ozone. The life expectancy of EPDM is twenty years with very little to no maintenance. See the epdm flat roof website for more details.

It’s more pricey but the quality and durability is much better than nearly any other form or flat roofing available. It’s cleaner, easier and safer than tarring, gluing and seaming in pieces on a flat roof and is more tolerant to harsh weather conditions. It can be purchased and installed in one unbroken piece which removes the need for sealing seams which in turn cause most problems with water leakage and roof damage.

Today more of us are worried about the effects of our actions on the environment and we are more conscious of our actions in this regard. EPDM offers us a recycled product which helps reduce the waste in our dumping sites while providing modern and effective roof protection for our homes.

Mental Arithmetic Magic to Impress Others

While working on a divisibility section for my web site that deals with mental workout exercises, I came across some interesting facts about numbers that, to someone who does not understand these things, would seem like mental arithmetic magic.

In case you don’t know, the divisibility of a number refers to whether a number can be evenly divided by another. For example, 12 is divisible by 2 but 13 is not as it leaves a remainder.

Here are some mental arithmetic magic tricks I have found that you can use to amaze your colleagues.

1. if a number can be evenly divided by 3 then so are the numbers based on shuffling the digits of the original number. For example, consider 123 which can be evenly divided by by 3. Then 132, 213, 231, 312 and 321 (which are obtained by shuffling the digits 1, 2 and 3 that make up 123) are all divisible by 3. This is called a permutation of the digits of a number. See for yourself!

2. to make up a number that can be evenly divided by 4, make up a number and tag on the end any 2 digit number divisible by 4. For example, I make up the number 111111111, and now I tag 16 (which is divisible by 4) on the end to get 11111111116. This number can be evenly divided by 4. See for yourself!

An interesting trick follows on from this one. The following numbers can all be evenly divided by 4: 316, 3316, 33316, 333316, and so on . . . Not what you would expect!

3. if a number can be evenly divided by 6, then any permutations of its digits will give you a new number divisible by 6 as long as the last digit is even. For example, 1272 is divisible by 6. Permutations of its digits while keeping the last digit even gives me 2172, 2712, 1722, 7122, 7212 which can all be evenly divided by 6. See for yourself!

4. to make up a number that can be evenly divided by 8, the process is very much like point 2. above. Make up a number and tag on the end any 3 digit number divisible by 8. For example, I make up the number 777777, and now I tag 016 (which is divisible by on the end to get 777777016. This number can be evenly divided by 8. See it for yourself!

Another interesting trick follows on from this one. The following numbers can all be evenly divided by 8: 7016, 77016, 777016, and so on . . . Again, not what you would expect!

5. if a number can be evenly divided by 9 then so are the numbers based on shuffling the digits of the original number. For example, consider 189 which is divisible by 9. Then so are 198, 819, 891, 918 and 981. See it for yourself!

6. if a number can be evenly divided by 11, then swapping its odd digits and/or its even digits will give you a new number also divisible by 11. For example, consider 154 which is divisible by 11. Then so is 451 (obtained by swapping its first and third digits). Another example, consider 1122 which is divisible by 11. Then so is 1221 (obtained by swapping its second and fourth digits). See it for yourself!

7. if a number can be evenly divided by 12, then any permutations of its digits (except for the last 2) will give you new numbers also divisible by 12. For example, 14652 is divisible by 12. Then so are 16452, 41652, 46152, 61452 and 64152. See it for yourself!

You would have to agree that such tricks do look like arithmetic magic which you can do on a piece of paper. In case you are wondering ‘why is it so?’ The trick lies in the test that determines whether a number is divisible by another.

Feel free to join my web site to understand how these tricks work. Membership is totally free.

I, Serge M Botans, am the CEO of a web site that provides mental workout exercises to those who want to regularly exercise their brain. I have also 13 years experience teaching Maths, Science and Physics.

P.S. If you are looking for the new ways of self discovery - read about emotional freedom technique - it has helped many people to find the path to inner self.

How Credit Card Processing Payments Can Help You Business Grow!

Whether they admit it or not, there are a lot of consumers out there who give in to impulse buys. The minute that a particular product that they see online made them smile – or if their initial reaction when seeing a product ad is “I should have it” – these are the group of consumers who can be called ‘credit card spendthrifts’.

They usually give in to impulse buys because of the convenience of the payment method. All they need to do is key in their credit card numbers and wait for the product to be delivered right at their doorstep.

Now, as a business owner, how can you take advantage of these so-called credit card spendthrifts? Naturally, you need to target their weakness which is the convenience of using credit cards.

When you own an online shop or a physical store which accepts credit card payments, through Online Credit Card Processing, your sales will immediately be given a boost as compared to your direct competitors which only accept the traditional payment methods.

Other Benefits of Accepting Credit Card Payments in Your Business

Take a look at the other benefits that you can get to enjoy as a business owner if you go for the option of accepting credit card payments:

1. You will have an edge over your direct competitors which do not offer this option.
Again, if your direct competitors are accepting credit card payments and you only allow cash or check payments to be made – most of your customers would go for another company offering the same products that you do – simply because they have more payment options there.

2. You will be able to offer your customers better service overall.
One of your goals as a business owner should be to offer the highest quality of customer service that you can provide to those who are taking advantage of the service or product that you are offering.

This is exactly what you will offer when you have the option to accept payments through credit card. In addition, the average consumer tends to trust more the merchants which provide them with more payment options, as compared to other retailers which only accept cash or check payments.

3. You will experience a boost in your sales.
Again, having Merchant Credit Card Processing can double, triple or even quadruple your sales! Sometimes, no matter how good a product is – if your customer does not have the means to pay, they definitely will not buy. Compare this with an average product which offers customers the convenience of paying via credit card. Naturally, consumers will go for the product which offers more in terms of the payment options that they can use.

Also, there are studies conducted by Dun and Bradstreet which shows that customers spend 12% to 18% more money when making purchases using credit or debit cards.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the increase in profits that you will get. You should seriously consider accepting credit card payments if you want in on the profits that thousands of other business owners are currently enjoying.

If you’ve been in the promotional business more than a few months, I’m sure you’ve heard about the controversy concerning whether niching is good for your business or not. I have previously reviewed companies offering biker patches, custom patches and Save the date magnets. It is my goal to tell you about the alternatives available you behind operating in a niche and how it might be helpful to your business.

First, let’s review a handful of the issues regarding why you might choose not to niche. Okay, let me tell you the whole truth right here! There are no valid reasons not to niche! Period! I thoroughly believe in creating a niche in your business. Even if you have a growing opportunity in your hands, you can still add substantial growth to it by establishing a lucrative niche. Creating a tight focus does not mean that you will turn away business outside your niche. It just means you will concentrate your marketing and sales efforts within a certain niche to make better use of your marketing dollars and your precious time.

Some people wonder why should you niche? The number one reason to focus on a particular segment is to poise yourself as an expert in your network of customers. And, frankly, there is no way to earn the respect of your clientele if your clients come from all walks of life. Again, you won’t be turning any client away (at least in the beginning). But, you will be able to study your niche and be able to anticipate their every need. Wouldn’t it be great to offer a solution to your client before it was obvious to them that they had a need? This is possible if you really study your niche. By reading what interests the people in your area of expertise, you will know what new trends are on the horizon, know the challenges they are facing and know the movers and shakers in their industry.

Once you become an expert and thus a business partner to your clients in your niche, they will begin to refer you to others in the same industry. While your clients are attending trade shows, conferences, networking meetings and community events, they will be happy to tell everyone who it is that are helping them build their business through the use of promotional products. They’ll do this because you have grown into their trusted expert - not just another salesman who calls on them! You have become an expert in their industry by knowing the solutions to their concerns, problems, their obstacles and their desired growth!

Stretching your budget for all things related to advertising is the second reason to choose a niche. Use your marketing budget to target only those in your niche. This will reduce the spreading of marketing dollars across a broad market with little affect. Rent a booth at a convention specifically designed for your target audience. As potential clients visit your booth, you will already anticipate their questions and their general needs before you even know their name!

Making the most efficient use of your time and money by calling on only those in your chosen niche will have you working more efficiently and effectively. Again, instead of calling on any type of business on a chosen street, you will save time by calling on businesses only of a certain trade. You won’t spend endless hours researching products for all different types of businesses and clients. You will have an arsenal of ideas for your client in your niche because you know who they are, what they need and what works in their business. You will be living othe dream of the proverbial “smarter not harder” method!