Designers and architects are aesthetics more important than practicalities

As a cleaning company we get called in to carry out builders cleans on new builds and refurbishments. Time and time again what we see is that the designer has had something built, laid or put in place solely on the grounds that it looks good with no regard as to how it will stand up to use or the practicalities of trying to keep it clean and looking good. They produce their design, see it through to the finish and then walk away. Only later does it become apparent that it is completely impractical from a cleaning point of view but they do not seem to learn from their mistakes because the same ones keep being repeated. Let us take some classic examples. Car showrooms are a prime example. Car dealers require a nice environment to show of their brand new cars. So what do you need? A large rectangular space in which to fit the cars. Large windows so that the cars can be viewed easily by passers by. Clean freshly painted walls with some nice pictures placed strategically. A potted plant or two. Modern desks for the sales people. Some colourful stands advertising the products interspersed between the cars. All pretty standard and nothing exceptional to allow the designer to soar into the realms of artistry. One thing however is missing from this list and that is the flooring. Now it is here that the designer has something to get their teeth into. What do they come up with? Bright, shiny, white or cream floors in ceramic tiles. This is really good, because the light coloured shiny floors set the cars off really well because the majority of them are in relatively dark colours. So in the building or refurbishment programme this is the type of flooring detailed and once laid and cleaned it looks marvellous. Then they start to bring the cars in and the customers walk in and then the trouble starts. Invariably the cleaners are blamed for not cleaning properly. The tiles are smeary, or the trye marks are not being removed, water marks are being left and so the complaints go on. What is actually happening is that oil and fuel spillages occur, even small amounts are sufficient to create problems. Tyre marks are left on the tiles and new tyres are coated with a resin to make them look shiny and clean and small amounts of this are deposited onto the floor. Normal cleaning fluids will not remove these completely and they will become spread over all the tiles in time by the mopping or other cleaning process employed. So tyre impressions and footmarks will be clearly visible even after cleaning. The only answer is to clean with a scrubber and a degreasing solution. However this adds considerably to the cost of cleaning the showroom and most garages are not willing to pay this additional sum so they continue to blame the cleaners. It could be easily solved if patterned tiles were used which would disguise these impressions and then normal mopping and cleaning would be sufficient followed every three months or so by a scrub with degreasing solution. Have garages or designers twigged this yet? No, because plain tiles have continued to be used in showrooms up to the present day.

Email promotion and internet marketing automation the autoresponder

Managing your own email list can be a monumental task, especially if you have a growing Internet business and you are constantly looking for ways to reach you customers. Any business, online or off, will be rated on its ability follow up with its customers, and if you don’t establish a reputation for following up, you are going to have customers unsubscribing from your email lists in droves. Is there any way to ensure that you can follow up with your customers on a regular basis, without having to drop everything else that’s involved in running your Internet business? Meet the twin concepts of email promotion and Internet marketing automation. Or, as they are more commonly called, autoresponders. You might already be familiar with autoresponders as great tools for creating and sending sales copy to potential customers. But one of the very best ways in which you can use autorepsonders is in the followup process. Why You Should Use Autoresponders in Your Email Promotions Once you have sent out your sales copy you may notice that there is only a small response to your efforts, or none at all. By using your Email promotion and Internet marketing automation autoresponder, you can reinforce the impact of your original mailing by scheduling a sequence of followup mailings. What will this do for you? You will build a customer base most effectively by establishing your credibility among your potential customers. So why not use Email promotion and Internet marketing automation to send out a series of informative mailings about your product, on a regularly scheduled basis? It’s a great way to get the word out not only about what you are selling but about your own expertise on the subject of what you are selling! Autoresponding after You Make a Sale Have you ever hemmed and haws about buying something and finally convinced yourself that it will be money wisely spent, only to regret your purchase almost instantly? It’s a nearly universal phenomenon for those of us who are limited in our discretionary income. Email promotions and Internet marketing automation with autoresponders will enable you to schedule a thank you email as soon as you complete a sale on your site, and you can include in the thank you all the reasons why your customer made the best possible decision. Autoresponders for Long-Term Customer Care You can also schedule regular followups with each of your paying customers to ask for feedback on your sit or introduce them to new products based on their previous purchases. It’s a perfect way to use email promotions and Internet marketing automations to establish long-term relationships with your customers and let them know how much your value their business. By using an autoresponder you can rest easy that your customers are not being neglected, and your bottom line should reflect the positive results!

The challenges of teaching math today

During my years of teaching I’ve been wondering what to do to improve math education. My own teaching philosophy is simple, but throughout the years it has proven to be effective. While the groups I have taught have been diverse, there are certain consistencies in their responses, particularly, students appreciate a clear and sound explanation of a difficult concept, and experience the greatest growth when they have the chance to express themselves by asking any questions they might have and feel comfortable in class. My first objective in any class is to create a safe atmosphere for learning. That involves encouraging students to express themselves freely, but respectfully. It is always extremely important to set the tone during the first classes, telling the students what is expected from them, and what can they expect from me as a teacher. Learning the students' names is a very good start to creating a personalized experience. Some students feel very intimidated by being in a math class, and treating them individually helps to bring them into the group, as well as to convey a sense that they are not just bystanders, that I care about their individual progress and am there to help them with their specific needs. Secondly, there is no substitute for good teaching. The key to success is to teach well. It’s very rewarding to receive positive feedback from students about the quality of your teaching. I think it’s very important to find a way of seeing math concepts that appeals to students. Being able to translate difficult concepts into something that they can digest is a must. Still, every class is a new challenge, and some old tricks of the trade might not work all the time. We as teachers have to be prepared to adapt to each class and use our creativity and intuition to help the students learn. Third, I think it is fundamental to be dynamic and entertaining. Math can be dense sometimes, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring or tedious. Being dynamic means to be proactive and receptive. We need to be proactive by taking the initiative to show the students new perspectives they didn't imagine before, and we need to be receptive in order to adjust our techniques to make them the most suitable for the specific needs of a group of students. It is a fact that every group of students is different, and each group needs different approaches. Flexibility is the key. Fourth, I like to challenge students, with achievable tasks that can build their confidence as they stretch beyond their comfort level. I like to encourage them to do things they didn't think they could do. I have noticed that the students find tremendous satisfaction when they achieve something that they didn't think they could achieve. To see that is really rewarding. That's one of the biggest payoffs of a teaching career, to see the students find unexpected talents in themselves. Teaching mathematics requires great sensitivity and perceptiveness. There are people taking math classes who have no interest in the field at all, and take the class only because it is a requirement for their major. It's also common to find people who are very frightened of how hard math can be. These are instances in which the teacher must convey to the student that even though math can be challenging, it is like any other subject, and is accomplishable through discipline, persistence, and hard work. These students' preconception of math as difficult and abstruse is often their biggest stumbling block, and as a teacher I help them to break down these mental barriers by providing alternative ways of looking at problems until the information "clicks." Positive leadership is the key to making students feel that they can get a lot from the class they are taking. It is our role as teachers to let them know that math is an incredibly exciting field and that the possibilities are endless. But it is also our role to show them that achievement does not come for free and effort is a primary factor in the formula for success. I feel that we have the tools now, more than ever, to make teaching a very rewarding experience for both my students and ourselves.

Credit repair charging orders in the county court

DEFINITION OF A CHARGING ORDER Charging orders are filed at the courts by a creditor in order to secure a money judgement ordering the debtor to repay what he owes. Whenever a charging order is filed, it automatically acts as a safeguard for the debt. That is to say, it becomes a “security” for the debt, much as a mortgage acts as a security for the house or the land. Before a charging order can be issued, a hearing must take place in court. There are several ways to can prevent a charging order from coming into being. In this report, you will find a description of country court procedures on charging orders, and the steps you can take when creditors file a petition to serve you with a charging order after suing you in High Court. This report will tell you what to do if you suspect a charging order has been filed against you and you are unsure of the next move you should make. A CREDITOR CAN PETITION THE COURTS FOR A CHARGING ORDER WHEN… There are two instances when a creditor can request the court to issue a charging order. One of these is when they already have a county court decision against the you, the debtor, where you are compelled by the court to pay the debt in what is known as a “forthwith” judgement. This means payment of the debt must be made in full straight away, or at a particular date set by the court. Another case is when there is a previous judgement against you for payment of the debt in instalments, and you have defaulted on one or more of them. However, if you are currently paying your debt in instalments as ordered by the court, and you have not missed a single one, the court cannot issue a charging order. This is based on the decision in the 1997 landmark case of Mercantile Credit Co Ltd versus Ellis involving debt payments and charging orders. THE PROCEDURE FOR FILING A CHARGING ORDER APPLICATION There are two stages in the filing of an application for a charging order: FIRST STAGE: THE INTERIM CHARGING ORDER Whenever a creditor applies for the issuance of a charging order against you, the court shall first establish that you partly own or have an interest in the property that is the subject of the charging order. After ascertaining this fact, the court shall release an interim charging order. Please note that this is NOT the final charging order itself. The court can give this order, with a duplicate sent to you, even without a hearing. A date is then set for a full hearing after the interim order has been issued. After approximately 21 days, the District Judge should be able to set the hearing to decide on the the issue of whether to make the interim charging order permanent or final. This hearing normally takes place within the private rooms of the District Judge. Apart from this, the Land Registry will be furnished with a copy of the interim charging order against you. This will serve as a “caution” on your property preventing you from disposing of it prior to the hearing. The Land Registry will likewise inform you of this “caution” in writing. SECOND STAGE: WHEN THE CHARGING ORDER BECOMES FINAL At this point, a hearing is set before the District Judge, and the court is tasked to decide whether or not the interim charging order should be made final on the property in question. This is also known as the final charging order. Any objections you might have against the final charging order should be set in writing and sent to both the court and the creditor at least 7 days before the hearing. The objection letter must be sent through registered mail and should state all of your reasons and present evidence of why a final charging order should not be issued against you and your property. Sending a letter of objection to the creditor and the courts will allow your explanation to be taken into consideration during the hearing presided over by the District Judge. It is important that you attend the hearing, even if you have sent a written objection. It is even more important for you to be present if you have not submitted any written evidence at all. The court has the discretion to withhold the charging order, which is why it is necessary for you to serve notice that you will be attending the hearing. If the hearing date is inconvenient for you, you must immediately inform the court so another date can be set. Absenting yourself from the hearing may have a negative impact on your case, as the court can rule in favour of the creditor by making the charging order final and irrevocable. If the reason you cannot attend a hearing is because it has been filed in another court, you have every right to request that it be heard at a court within your area. There is a form required for this called the N244 application which, for a fee, allows you to fill out your reasons for the transfer, be it the travel time involved, the considerable distance, or the costs you are likely to incur for childcare. HALTING A CHARGING ORDER IN ITS TRACKS The court has the responsibility to decide whether or not to issue the charging order. Based on The Charging Orders Act of 1979, there are several considerations that the court has to look into before making its final decision. Among these conditions are: 1.) The “debtor's” personal situation The court has to take into consideration that you may have other creditors whose rights may be prejudiced with the issuance of a charging order. This means the court will have to look into your personal circumstances - your other outstanding debts, your mortgage, any equity on your house, and if you have sole or joint ownership of your home – before making its decision. Assuming you have quite a number of outstanding debts with several creditors, issuing a charging order in favour of one creditor will unduly prejudice the rights of the others. It may be a good idea to show evidence that you already have a payment schedule in place with your other creditors to forestall the charging order from being released. It would be an advantage on your part to present a summary of your debts, including the amount of each, and whether some of the creditors have held out on interest charges. In like manner, one of the requirements of the creditor in the filing of a charging order is to include a list of all the other creditors that he is aware you have. Although creditors may be furnished a copy of the interim order to give them a chance to protest its issuance during the hearing, the court is not obligated to supply them with one. This means that your other creditors are unlikely to be aware of the interim order hearing. If you feel that one or more of them may be “unduly prejudiced” by the charging order, you may include this argument in your written objections, as well. Loan security can also be used as an argument. Whether or not your creditor offered you a secured or an unsecured loan may have an impact on the rights of your other unsecured creditors if a charging order is issued. You can also request the court for an instalment order to enable you to pay the debt in affordable monthly instalments. This is one other way the court can order as settlement of the debt. If you are employed, you can petition the court to have the payments taken directly from your salary, as long as your employment is not put at risk. Examine the type of debt that you have and determine if it has been made under the Consumer Credit Act. This may be a factor you can use in filing an application for a Time Order, which can be more advantageous on your part compared to a charging order. The court may consider looking into this to amend your monthly payment schedule and stretch out the paying period. Part of your argument may also include appealing for an administration order instead of a charging order. This is only applicable if the sum of your debts to all your creditors comes to less than Ј5,000.00 If bankruptcy is just around the corner, point out that your other creditors will be disadvantaged by a charging order which will secure debt payment for only one creditor. Your mortgage can also be used as a condition to parry the creditor’s application for a charging order. This is particularly true if you have negative equity, that is to say, your home is worth less than your mortgage and would not satisfy the your debt to the creditor even if it is sold off or placed on auction. On the other hand, if your debt is a paltry sum compared to the market value or equity of your home, you can use this argument to emphasize the unfairness of a charging order. Call attention to the difficult family situation that may arise if your home is sold off to pay your debt. The debt may singularly be in your name, but your home is owned jointly by you and your partner, which means that the issuance of a charging order would prejudice your family’s rights, as well. 2.) Serious ailments or disability in the family If there is anyone in your immediate family who is need of special medical care, or who is terminally ill, point out to the court that disposing of your home to pay off your creditor will prejudice the rights of these disadvantaged family members. There may be a possibility that all the arguments you use will find no grounds and the court decides to issue a final charging order. You may still petition the court not to have your house sold off, as long as you satisfy the debt by paying monthly instalments. Should the court not take into account this request at the hearing, secure an application called N245 which will allow you to pay your debt in instalments. SINGULAR DEBT, JOINTLY OWNED HOME The situation in which you have a debt solely under your name while your home is owned jointly by you and another person, can also be used to your advantage. State this fact in your written argument and bring it forward during the hearing, as well. The co-owner of your home must also be furnished with a copy of the interim order to give them a chance to present their own objections during the hearing. Some of the considerations that may be looked into include: 1.) Determining who put down the deposit to purchase the home 2.) Identifying the person who pays the mortgage instalments 3.) Presence of minor children – you can petition the court to amend the conditions of the charging order to state that the home cannot be sold until the children have reached legal adult age. To add ground to this argument, have your home’s co-owner submit their own written objections to the court at least 7 days before date of the hearing. In the end, if the court does decide to issue a charging order, then it can only be enforced against your share of the property. WHERE THERE IS A PREVIOUS INSTALMENT ORDER AND YOU ARE NOT IN DEFAULT In a 1987 landmark case of Mercantile Credit Co Ltd vs. Ellis, it was decided that if a debtor pays his monthly instalments on time and does not miss a single one, the court should not issue a charging order. Charging orders should only be made if the debtor has already been ordered by the court to pay in monthly instalments or the whole amount in a “forthwith” judgement, but fails to do so. If you find yourself in the situation where you were already issued an instalment order and are up-to-date in making payments, remember to bring up this landmark case during the hearing. SEPARATION OR DIVORCE When you are in the middle of divorce proceedings, which may include division of the home or property, it will be a good idea to consult your solicitor for legal advice. Depending on which stage you are at in the divorce proceedings, you may be able to halt the issuance of a charging order. INTEREST A creditor may actually include extra interest for the debt provided he files his claim for a charging order with the county court. However, interest cannot be added for the following conditions: 1.) The debt has been secured under the Consumer Credit Act. Debts of this type include ordinary credit agreements and bank overdrafts. 2.) Debt comes to a total of only Ј5,000, even if not covered by the Consumer Credit Act. If the two conditions stated above are not present and the debt is over Ј5,000, the court may set the interest based on the standard rate. Interest may also be charged only after the county court’s final decision depending on the creditor’s arguments.

Learning tarot as a game

Although it is not an unfamiliar sight to witness a Tarot reader drawing out cards from a deck of 78 to advice on problems ranging from relationships to career wellbeing, most people find it difficult to imagine doing the actual reading themselves. But the fact is that Tarot is now out there available for everyone to experience and learn. Although having a Tarot practitioner analyzing the symbols of the cards drawn is certainly an enchanting experience and probably "less risky," a few of today's Tarot lovers purchase their own decks and begin reading its cards with the help of Tarot manuals or mentors. Starting to learn anything new is always a daunting experience and especially when one considers learning the Tarot cards can seem a bit odd; to say the least. This is probably the case because Tarot is associated with fortune-telling and future is the thing that excites human imagination the most. But Tarot, can in fact take people into a better understanding of the past and the present, assisting many to decode daily problems, and issues. Living in the information age, it is actually only logical to seek more information, on any given situation, before having to make a decision on the subject of interest. But the tremendous potential and effect Tarot relates to self-realization. That notion is probably less realized by those who wish to learn the future through Tarot, but in the end, this is where they are in fact led. Most often regarded as a method of predicting the future, Tarot is much less considered as a method used to better understand oneself. But, if you are interested in learning to read the Tarot cards, it is best if you keep in mind that you should do it primarily because it is one of the most effective methods to begin knowing thyself. Since the Tarot cards have numerous different meanings depending on the order they are drawn and placed in relation to each other, many people quickly give up the effort of learning to read them. But experts claim that learning the meaning can be an effortless process, as well as rewarding and enjoyable. One of the simpler methods existing to learn the Tarot cards is through meditation. As practitioners reveal, you should begin by picking up a card from the pile and "studying" it for some time. You can always look up a guide for its "official" meaning, but the important thing here is to realize what the card you picked means to you. If the card suggests a positive career development, for example, it does not matter if in the Tarot manual symbolizes something entirely different. As long as it means this to you, it will always mean that when it comes up. As readers put it, "the card responds to you, not the other way around." By picking at least one card every day, you will slowly but surely familiarize yourself with the Tarot deck in a natural easy way. Keep notes and later read the Tarot manual to check how close your guessing was to the "original" meaning. The important thing here is to concentrate on the cards and let their images be "absorbed" by your brain. Ask questions and give answers to yourself in relation to the pictures you see and the story that the card is trying to convey. Remember that it does not matter how close to the "true" meaning you really are. What matters is how easily you will remember your original thoughts when you draw the same card later during this familiarization procedure. In less than a month you will be able to associate the cards together and "translate" their meaning. Remember that this is nothing more than a game to learn better yourself and how you react to a given set of variables. Then Tarot will be a fun experience to devote some time alone or with your friends.

Buying a home after bankruptcy beware of shady subprime mortgage lenders

If you have a recent bankruptcy and are looking to buy a home, be careful of unethical or predatory lenders. Whether you are looking online or offline for a mortgage lender, it is becoming increasingly more common that subprime lenders are taking advantage of bad credit borrowers. Many lenders will take advantage of borrowers with recent bankruptcies and bad credit because they know that the borrowers loan options are limited. Sometimes these lenders will charge excessively high fees, extensive pre-payment penalties on the home or ask for a fee upfront to "process" the loan. Here are some tips on applying for a mortgage loan after a bankruptcy: Beware of the Lender Asking For a Fee Upfront - Anytime you are applying for a mortgage loan, the only fee you should ever have to pay is the application fee which covers the cost of the lender pulling your credit application. Some lending scams involve asking for a processing fee of hundreds to thousands to process the loan. Compare Loan Offers - If you can compare from 3-4 mortgage application quotes then you will know what to expect the current interest rate for subprime mortgage loans to be. If you accept the first mortgage loan offer you have, you may be paying a much higher interest rate than what is reasonable for your credit history. Get Closing Costs in Writing - Brokers know that if a borrower has bad credit, they are most likely going to be more concerned about getting a reasonable interest rate and just getting approved than making sure they get normal closing costs. This is where many lenders will ding the borrower with credit problems. They will sometimes charge excessive closing cost fees. Get the list of closing costs in writing ahead of time and then do research online to make sure that the costs are reasonable. If the costs are not, go back to the lender and tell them that the closing costs are too high and you will not go through with the loan until they are lowered to be what is normal. The broker will usually comply, because they don't want the loan to fall through.

Having your home business network and building it

Once you have a home business going, you still have the most important job of all to accomplish. The job of building your network of customers and/or clients. Without a network of contacts, you will not have any reason to have a business, will you? It doesn't matter what kind of business you have chosen because in every business, whether it's a product or service, there is a need for customers/clients. There is no business, online or off, that can survive without the benefit of networking. Even if you are a service provider of a creative nature, you need to network to assure that you will constantly have those who are interested in buying what you create. For some people, the idea of networking conjures up the idea of going door to door or making phone calls to people they don't know. But that is not the idea at all. In fact, the best networking tool is providing good service so that your customers will refer others to your business. Word of mouth is always a better sales tool than any other type of networking that you can do. Of course, even though referrals are your most effective network tool, that doesn't mean that it is or should be your only tool. Even if you have referrals, you need to do some networking when you expect your business to be successful. And not to forget to continue to maintain success. It doesn't mean that you have to get on the phone every day and contact people. Nor does it mean that you have to constantly surf the Internet to find others who are interested in what you have to offer. However, you do need to take time on a regular basis to perform networking activities. It may vary from contacting referrals to simply promoting your website. Because of underemphasizing the value of networking in many respects many new businesses are doomed to fail before they are even out of the planning stages. Choose to network for your business is not the issue. But if you expect your business to succeed, you have to promote it. Do not be fooled into thinking that once you have your client base, you no longer have to promote your business. Because if you accept that line of thinking, you will not be in business for very long. Customers are fickle, so they will not always buy goods or services from you. Have a backup plan for those times when "regular" customers decide to utilize the services of another provider is a necissity. Unless your product or service is unique, which is unlikely unless you are an inventor, people will go where they find the products or services they want at the price they want to pay. Always be prepared for these slow times by continually networking for new customers.