Computer Training is an Investment, not a cost

Computer training is often viewed as a cost and therefore something that should be kept to a minimum or even avoided. In times of recession and economic slowdown it is often one of the first overheads that gets cut from the budget. However it should be viewed as an investment in both the short and longer terms as there are a number of key benefits of formally training yourself and your staff, some are more measurable than others. Here are four important advantages of training:

1 - Increase in productivity: This is the most measurable and therefore to many the most important. For example formal software training can teach you and your staff how to use the product more efficiently, allowing you more time to spend on other activities. You can also learn about the advanced features of a product that you have not previously had the opportunity to use.

2 - Increase in confidence: No-one likes to feel that they are standing still. Learning something new is a good way to give you a boost in confidence, usually one that is also carried outside of the workplace.

3 - The out of the office factor: A change is as good as a rest or so they say. Especially if you're office based a break in the routine can only serve to refresh your mind and give you renewed energy.

4 - Networking: Training companies hold public-scheduled courses for up to 12 people at a time giving you up to 11 people to network with.

Payday Loan - It Fulfills Short Term Requirements

No one knows when and how monetary emergency knocks at our doors. If you have sufficient money, it is ok. If the monetary emergency comes at the middle of the month or end of the month and you are unable to cope up with the situation, then you can go for payday loans.

Payday loans are unsecured loans which is available without placing assets as collateral; but you have to provide some documents such as, income proof, residence proof, borrower's income should not be less than £1200, borrower should not be less than 18 years old, and so on. After taking loans, you have to make proper plan regarding repayment of terms and strictly follow it. Otherwise, lender can take legal action against you.

Payday loans can be used for multiple purposes such as, medical emergencies, repair of car, paying off debts, paying off credit card bills or some other bills and many more. This loan is available for short term and lower repayment terms, owing to absence of collateral.

As per the rule, the amount is available in payday loan is ranging from £100 to £1000. If you are a first time borrower, then you can get only £500 because risk of the lender. If you make repayments on time, then another time lenders will consider it up to £1000. Borrowing amount also depends on your monthly income and repayment capacity.

Today, online method is available in the UK for taking payday loans. Through this method, you can get all the facilities which are available in the lenders office. You have no need to ring up to the lenders for taking information regarding loans, because all information is available with the help of online method through internet. If you are looking for better deal, then go to the internet for applying. With the help of online method, you will be able to decide that whom quotes are better for you.

Tips For Mountain Bikers in Spain

As any keen mountain biker will know, there are some important rules to follow and bike handling skills to master before subjecting yourself and your bike to the thrills and spills of off-road riding. Although most of us ride within our capabilities most of the time, riding on different trails in hot weather conditions can present a new set of challenges requiring some new biking skills and knowledge.

Here in Southern Spain, I spend most of my time riding in warm and dry conditions, on shale/gravel trails in relatively remote areas, at medium to high altitude (1000 - 4000 ft). I say relatively remote, in that I seldom meet other bikers, hikers or other like-minded individuals. In other words, you must be prepared to patch yourself up and get yourself off the mountainside in the event of an accident.

Here are some points to consider before embarking on your Spanish MTB adventure.

Planning routes:

Map it out - When planning routes for yourself and other bikers to ride, get hold of a map first. I use the 1:25,000 topographical maps published by the Centro Nacional De Informacion Geografica (CNIG). They show most off-road vehicle tracks, forestry access roads and some single track/footpaths.

Note: I am not sure how often they are updated. Some trails marked on these maps can suddenly disappear. On the other hand, I have ridden trails, which are not indicated, on the maps.

Terrain and time of year -Taking into account the distance, terrain, altitude, gradients and vegetation you can plan a suitable route for the time of year.

Mid-summer (early morning and evening riding advisable) look for shaded trails, low gradients with less altitude gain and think about places to refill water bottles.

Mid-winter This time of year it can be lovely and warm (15-20 deg C) at sea level and pretty chilly (0-5) at 1000+ metres. When ascending you are generating a lot of heat, coming down the other side at 40Kph + you are subjecting your body to a wind chill factor which can drop temperatures a further 10 degrees. - carry extra layers of clothing.

Preparation:

Rider - You of course, must be fit for the ride and this cannot be achieved the night before... although it can be enhanced by laying off the San Miguel.

Eat a decent breakfast, mainly carbohydrates, Cereal, toast and fruit for example. Stretch before you leave and spin in a low gear for about 1 km when you first set off (especially in winter).

Know some first-aid that you can administer to yourself as well as to others. E.g dealing with Bleeding and serious grazes.

Bike & bits - Bike set-up and Maintenance is much the same everywhere so I won't bore you with details of what you already know, however pay attention to the following.

-Check for any play in wheel, steering and bottom bracket bearings. With a lot of fast descents and rocky ground it is worth a quick adjustment before any loose bits get worse.

-Chain needs regular attention in these dry, dusty conditions (every 2-3 rides). Run it through a cleaner, apply fine oil and then remove any excess lubricant, which only acts as a magnet to any dirt. Clean shocks and apply thin film of silicone-based lubricant

-Tyres, nice 'n' knobbly if you're intending to be off-road 90 % of the time. With a lot of climbing on loose surfaces and descents on rocky stuff I get more traction and comfort with wider tyres at a lower pressure.

-2 spare tubes (at least) - There are some vicious plants in the campo, especially prominent in the summer months, with thorns like you wouldn't believe. Check inside surface of tyre thoroughly before fitting new tube - where there is one thorn there could be many.

- Helmet and gloves - This should go without saying.

Water - I usually allow for 1L of water per hour of riding. In the winter on a leisurely low level ride you may drink less than this, during the summer months it can be double. When the weather is hot, I carry 2 bottles on the bike and 2 in my rucksack. Most villages and towns have a natural spring or potable water available somewhere, on longer routes it is worth knowing where the nearest habitations are.

Food - Unlike thirst, hunger pangs will pass. On a short ride in warm conditions you may not even feel like eating - the wet stuff is far more important. However it is not advisable to deplete energy reserves so always have some dried fruit/muesli bar with you - Newsagents are not a common feature of Spanish villages and café/bars may not be open all day.

First-aid kit - This doesn't need to be bulky. A small well-packed container, including the following; Bandage, gauze pads, safety pins, plasters, antiseptic cream.

Clothing - for comfort and protection from exposure to the sun and cold.

-2 or more thin layers especially on upper body for better temperature regulation, increased insulation (more air layers) and protection against grazing if you fall off.

- Bandanas one folded and tied around the forehead keeps sweat out of your eyes.

Another folded diagonally and tied loosely to keep sun off back of neck. - Sunglasses - High protection sun-cream on any exposed skin.

Safety on the trail:

Hazards such as loose surfaces, ditches, eroded gullies and the like will always be present - it's something that appeals to us MTBers. Accidents occur when we are unfamiliar with these conditions, over confident in our ability or meet with something unexpected in our path. Good bike handling skills can prevent or help get you out of a sticky moment, however when taking on steep descents and tricky technical sections be prepared for the unexpected.

Dogs - Some people are put off from biking and walking in Spain because of the dogs they may encounter. More often than not this will be when passing by/through a farmyard. In my experiences (which doesn't include any nasty ones yet - touch wood) Spanish mutts come under the following categories;

1. Bark and run away

2. Bark and chase

3. Total disinterest in your presence.

In most cases it isn't always clear whether the dog is of type 1 or 2 until you have committed yourself to entering its territory. If you are starting a long descent when they give chase, you can give a two-finger salute and go for it. If however you are grinding uphill in 1st gear and the blighter is loping at your side with plenty in reserve it can be a bit intimidating - and you probably won't care much for my categorising.

When passing farm buildings, I always assume that dogs are present.

If they do appear but remain at a distance and bark, I stand on my pedals to make myself taller and ride slowly but confidently past.

If a dog/dogs begins to advance I shout "FUERA" the term often used to send a dog out or away. This will usually work and also bring your presence to the attention of the household. You can advance and repeat this procedure if the animal is reluctant to give way. Stooping as if to pick up a rock can also intimidate Spanish dogs.

If you feel at this stage that it is still too risky then trust your instinct and retreat to find an alternative route.

In my experience, dogs will not attack if you retreat in a calm but confident manner - DON'T RUN.

In general

Plan your ride

Don't ride alone on unfamiliar trails

Carry spares and sufficient water

Protect your body from falls and extreme weather conditions.

Then get out there and enjoy yourself!

Magnets Strength Can Produce Electricity

Magnets strength can be used for energy.

Using a magnet to pull an object closer to us has been used for years. Can we use magnets strength to provide electricity too?

You can remember taking a magnet and dragging it to make another item above move. This is something we learned in elementary school. But were you taught that in the late 1800s it was used to produce electricity? Many believe that this form of generating electricity should be used today.

Because it used the method of motion and using south and north pull magnets, once a motor is set up it will run consistently. This means that we can no longer bill for this energy. Electric companies would not exists as we know them today. Should we learn more about this?

Magnets strength can produce a lot of movement. If properly set up we could have an electric motor running for years. It would require no fuel. The possibility of producing electricity for your home and allowing the extra electricity to go back into the grid is another option. This means that if some households had a magnetic motor producing electric it could actually pay them instead of them paying the power company.

Magnets strength is something that we have played with, can we use it for more? Are we open to using the energy of movement to produce electricity? Why not explore this method some more?

When we think about electricity we often think we need to have an outside source of energy. What if we created a method that did not require a fuel supply, but produced it? Magnets strength could mean a new strength for our environment. Shouldn't we learn more?

What Does It Mean to 'Live Simply?'

"Live simply that others might simply live." ~ Elizabeth Ann Seton

The growing simple living movement encompasses a few different philosophies, from slow food to self-sufficiency. At its heart, simple living is about consuming less and living more mindfully, but people come to these ideals from many different directions, and thus their lifestyles can be worlds apart.

Within, or at least partially covered by, the umbrella of the simple living movement are frugal living, homesteading or self-sufficiency, slow living, and living sustainably. But not all of these concepts are embraced by all proponents of living simply, though most perhaps subscribe to at least a couple of them. Indeed, any two of these lifestyles have many points of intersection. So let's take a look at each of them individually.

Frugal Living

To some extent this is self-explanatory. At its most simple, frugal living is about living within one's means, often to the point of being able to repay mortgages or other debts at an increased rate.

But frugal living can be more than just saving money, and often includes an attitude of conscious or ethical consumption, often favouring the ideal of reduction of consumption in our consumer heavy lifestyles, thus intersecting with sustainable living ideals.

Along with the desire for reduced consumption, frugal living can also extend to decluttering, and this is a common theme of frugal living blogs and websites. Where frugal living and decluttering meet is in the idea that learning to live with less will enhance both our happiness and our ability to live well on a lower income.

Slow Living

Slow living is about restoring a sense of balance in life. It is moving away from fast food, quick conversations, superficial interactions, towards living mindfully and with awareness.

The slow food movement is probably the best known aspect of slow living. It focuses particularly on eating 'real food': meals cooked from scratch - which for some people means using cans of tomatoes and dried herbs instead of buying pre-prepared pasta sauce, making bread from a bread mix and making their own pizza on a pre-prepared base, while for others it means using only fresh vegetables and herbs, making their bread and even pasta from scratch and making their own pizza bases and pizza sauce. Slow food also encompasses eating together as a family at the table (no TV or couch meals), and often includes a focus on local and traditional cuisines.

Slow food also often includes growing one's own food, which is one area of confluence with self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyles.

The slow movement can be seen as a reaction to fast food, workaholism and 'time poverty'. In parenting, for instance, it means letting children play freely rather than having organised activities, cutting down on (or out altogether) after school activities and reducing access to television and other electronic media. It is about reducing stress and restoring harmony.

Homesteading or Self Sufficiency

Homesteading is a term which has changed, over the last few decades, to reflect living a self-sufficient lifestyle, to varying degrees. It can include growing your own food - plants, livestock or both; producing your own power; collecting your own rain water and possibly processing your own grey water and even sewage. Initially the homesteading movement tended to mean living the city for a 'tree-change', but more recently 'urban homesteading' has become popular.

The homesteading movement also tends to include involvement in community life, care of the environment and - frequently - home based businesses or telecommuting via the internet.

Sustainable Living

Living sustainably means reducing your use of the Earth's finite resources which most recently presents as reducing your carbon footprint. It also means creating less non-biodegradable waste, reusing or avoiding altogether items that can not break down in landfill or better yet be recycled or composted.

Sustainable living often tends to manifest as homesteading, but can also mean doing things like buying local/organic food rather than growing your own, reducing your power use rather than producing your own power (by incorporating principles of energy efficiency into your home design, for instance, or riding, walking or taking public transport rather than driving a car), buying 'green' or 'eco-friendly' products.

In either practice, 'reduce, reuse, recycle, repair' is probably the key phrase for sustainable living.

If you want to slow down and live more simply, you can take aspects from all or any of the lifestyle choices discussed here. There is no set formula or list of changes you must make to be able to claim the title of a simple life. In essence, simple living is about reducing your impact on the world, decluttering your life - whether of physical, mental or activity clutter - and paying more attention to what's left.

On an individual level, probably the most important aspect to living simply is finding your own place of balance. Otherwise Doris Janzen Longacre, author of the 1970s book, Living More with Less, is right when she says "The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple."

Common Excuses for Not Giving To Charity

For the most part, people like to look at themselves as helpful people with altruistic motives. They like to think that they would be willing to do the right thing in any circumstance. But the world has a tendency to harden people and make them more skeptical. Inevitably, focus will shift almost exclusively to people's own problems. When asked to participate in charities, it will be easier to make excuses and come up with reasons to stay out of them.

There are a few excuses in particular that regularly come up as explanations for not giving to charities. Each of them can be overcome and people will always be satisfied with the end result. Charities play an important role in increasing the quality of lives of people all around the world. If someone has the means to donate of his or her money, time, or possessions, someone's life will be better off because of the selfless actions.

One of the most common excuses for not donating to charity is that a people don't think they have enough money. In some cases, this is a legitimate excuse and such people may actually be in need of charity themselves. But every little bit counts, and if you have just $5 to donate at a given time it will be appreciated. Instead of paying for an unnecessary item, donate the money to charity. Pack a lunch from home for a week instead of buying lunch every day and give the money you saved to an organization that will use it to help someone in tough circumstances.

The skepticism that comes into people's lives over the years will lead them to question whether donations to charity are actually going to help people in need. After all, charities need funds themselves to continue operations and some of the money will go to the people running the organizations. This concern can be overcome by searching for a charity with an established reputation and that provides services that you feel passionately about. Charities are more than happy to provide potential donors with specific examples of people they have helped.

Many people worry about being tricked into donating to a scammer posing as a charity organization. Unfortunately, such operations do exist. This is another obstacle that can be overcome by a little bit of research. Don't let a few bad people keep you from contributing to quality charities that actually make the world a better place.

Last of all, it can be tough for a person to comprehend that their contribution is actually helping in the grand scheme of things. If a company receives $1 million in charitable contributions throughout the year, for example, what difference will it make for a person to donate $15? The key here is to not think of it collectively. Think of what your donation will do to a specific individual. That may be what pays for someone's medicine or food.

If you can overcome the common excuses to avoid giving to charity, consider donating your car when you no longer need it. It can serve a purpose after you are finished with it and charitable organizations will ensure that it will be a tool in helping the overall mission of the charity.

All Long Term Care Insurance Plans Are Not the Same

If it's at all possible financially (in terms of the premiums) and in terms of your eligibility at the time of policy application, you want to have the following benefits and features in your long-term care insurance policy.

Your policy should spell out very specifically when you will receive payouts, how much the payouts will be, and for how long they will last.

Keep your elimination period as short as you can afford. Also, don't take a policy that stipulates you need to first stay in a hospital and be covered by your health insurance before you become eligible to receive the LTC payouts; likewise, don't take a policy that would re-impose a new elimination period on you if you came out of the nursing home but then had to go back in later.

Pay for a Non-Forfeiture Benefit if you can at all afford it.

Some LTC policies will cover pre-existing conditions if they are not at the time of application causing an inability to perform more than one ADL (activity of daily living), as long as you disclose them to the provider at that time. Take one of these policies if you can afford it.

By all means buy an LTC insurance policy that includes some form of inflation protection. Sometimes this means an automatic maximum daily or monthly coverage limit raise on an annual basis, or it could mean you are guaranteed the right at any time to raise your coverage limits (which option you choose will affect your premiums).

There are long term care insurance policies that will permit you the option of downgrading your total protection benefits if the premiums become too steep for you to pay for them. Take a policy that allows you this option. If you don't and you run into premium paying trouble down the line, you'll lose all of your coverage.

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease should be covered by your LTC policy. If you ever need prescription drugs to treat these cognitive disorders your health insurance will pay for them, but these two diseases are leading causes of needing to enter a nursing home on a long-term basis and you'll need the long-term care insurance for that.

Don't get a long term care policy that covers less than at least one year's stay in a nursing home or one year's worth of custodial home-based nursing care.

Don't consider any policy that won't allow you the guaranteed, no-questions-asked right to cancel the policy for a 100% refund within 30 days after purchase.

Of course, you'll want to talk to several different providers and get different premium prices on similar policies. Also check a provider's track record of paying out. If a provider is slow to pay out or squabbles over long-term care payout eligibility on a constant basis, don't do business with them.

Ten Sure Fire Ways To Lose Bidders

The way some auction sellers approach their auctions, it's clear there are as many ways to lose bidders as there are to skin a cat. If you spend enough time in the auctions you'll see a lot of basic mistakes, but the question remains: why do so many people consistently make the same mistakes over and over again. Is it that they are just placing auctions for the fun of it - without expecting to sell the item- probably not!

Here's our top ten sure fire ways to lose bidders (in no particular order):

Weak Headlines

Bad Photographs

Short, Sloppy or Excessive Descriptions

Unreasonable Terms

No Shipping Amounts

Lack of Response to Emails

Unrealistic Reserve Price

Low Feedback Rating

No Condition Information

Bad Start/Closing Time

Let's look at each one in a little more detail and see if you're making the same mistakes.

Weak Headlines

A recent auction was for a "Blue Antique Chair". This seller obviously didn't want many bidders to look at the auction. By adding some specificity to the headline a much stronger draw is accomplished. How about "RARE Victorian Wingback Chair"? Now if a bidder uses the search capability on eBay and they look for any of three key words: chair, wingback, Victorian, the auction will show up. Always use your popular word search tools to draw bidders.

Bad Photographs

With the popularity of digital cameras increasing, capturing your auction item has never been easier. Some tips are to be sure the item is lit well enough to show key details and/or any imperfections. Also, keep the size of your photos to a reasonable level so your auction doesn't take too long to load.

Short, Sloppy or Excessive Descriptions

Not enough information - tons of typographical errors- or a rambling discourse on why your wife is making you sell your item is a good way to lose bidders. Be succinct but provide enough information to describe the item sufficiently and create buyer interest.

Unreasonable Terms

Have you ever seen an auction where the seller states something like "We're not responsible for items once shipped" or "Item sold as is" - without a clear description of the item's condition? Remember if you want to increase the number of bids you receive or get your bidders to buy from you again, you need to focus on basic customer service.

No Shipping Amounts

Not clearly stating your shipping amounts up front prevents bidders from comparative shopping. State all buyer expenses clearly.

Lack of Response to Emails

Responding to emails takes time. Not doing so loses bidders. Return all emails as quickly as possible.

Unrealistic Reserve Price

Are you overpricing your items and then wondering why they're not selling? Do your research and determine competitive prices before placing your auctions.

Low Feedback Rating

If you don't care your potential bidders will disappear. Work on your Feedback Rating by meeting your commitments and providing great customer service.

No Condition Information

By providing a clear description of the item and its condition, with supporting photos, you maximize the potential of your actions.

Bad Start/Closing Time

Start an auction so it closes on a time or day that is inconsistent with your bidder's profile (e.g. commercial buyers who bid at work or parents who aren't available during work hours) will result in fewer bids.

Making sure you don't make these few mistakes will improve the number of bids your auctions receive.

© Copyright 2005 Steven Woodward - All Rights Reserved

Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club - It All Started in a River 130 Years Ago!

Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club, formed in 1884, is an amateur swimming club based at the Bishops Stortford College Swimming Pool and hold regular training sessions during the week. Being almost 130 years old, it is rumoured that the club is the longest established swimming club in Hertfordshire.

From humble beginnings, which included using a railed-off River Stort near the old cattle market, and during the 1950s a new cold outdoor pool where the multi-story car park now stands, the club finally moved to the newly built facilities, including an indoor pool, at Grange Paddocks in 1974. This led to an influx of new members, and as the club had never paid to hire a pool, they had to introduce a yearly membership fee of 25p. In addition to Grange Paddocks, the club nowadays have use of three other pools located at Bishop's Stortford College, Herts & Essex High School, & Leventhorpe School.

The nineties saw some great successes for Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club. In 1991, the Juniors won the prestigious Daplyns Trophy and repeated this feat in 1996 and 1998. They also had further success by winning the Peanuts League in 1993 and were runners up in 1994. Possibly the greatest achievement of the club to date was winning the Herts Major League in 1995. Two years later saw a bounce straight back into Division One of the Speedo League after winning the Division Two Championship. They currently compete in the Herts Major League, Herts Peanuts League and The National Arena Swimming League.

The Club, which is affiliated to the A.S.A East Region and A.S.A, aims to cater for the widest possible range of swimmers from Learn to Swim level to adult social swimmers. They have created a structure that will produce competitive swimmers at National, Regional, County and Club level. Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club are proud to be a Swim21 accredited Competitive Development club.

The Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club is a friendly club with the committee members being very approachable. If you enjoy swimming, or are looking to get back into the pool, why not get in touch with them?