posted16/11/11
When traveling abroad to Middle Eastern and Asian countries you may have come across hookah pipes which are used to smoke tobacco or herbal substances. These water pipes were introduced in China in the late Ming Dynasty which was around the 16th Century as well as tobacco which was used in them. Hookah pipes and water pipes (also known as bongs) a pretty much the same thing, however water pipes tend to be smaller in size than hookah pipes making them more portable.
It wasn’t just in China where they became popular centuries ago they also travelled across Thailand and Africa. Bongs were used for smoking because it’s claimed that the cooling effect of the water helps to reduce the chance of burning the mouth, airways, and lungs making it safer to smoke. There are many different connotations on design of water pipes, including some with multiple pipe bongs. Generally bongs are either glass or plastic that use a bowl, stem, and water to produce smoke. They can also be made out of different things such as glass, metal plastic and sometimes homemade out of more organic items.
In countries where marijuana and hashish are illegal water pipes can only be sold if they are labelled as “Tobacco Use Only” in an attempt to get around drug paraphernalia laws.
posted14/11/11
Every home or office has some type of furniture as the focal point. When you have the proper set of furniture gracing your front office or living room, you are making a statement. Furniture arrangement is especially important when you are trying to maximise the attractiveness of the room the furniture is in and make it inviting. Many people enjoy the look and feel of antique furniture and traditional antique pieces can be quite expensive.
Of course, you do have the option of purchasing traditional antique furniture made by Chesterfield. Associated with prominent names and periods in the furniture industry, each chair or sofa made by this company has been constructed of durable, hardwood and are each a unique illustration of some of the best artisanship. They are all distinctive and they bring the rich heritage of British craftsmanship to your home and office.
The traditional antique furniture collections available from Chesterfield are designed to be durable, comfortable, and beautiful. When you own furniture produced by Chesterfield, you will need to make sure that they are properly protected from scratches, dents, dings, dirt, and stains. Sunlight, environmental contaminants, and dust are all enemies for this type of furniture. You will always want to clean the wood surfaces with the proper solution and protect the fabric or leather of the seats and backs with stain resistant protectant. Never place your Chesterfield traditional antique furniture near windows or in direct sunlight to keep fabrics from fading and leather from drying out.
Because wood can expand and contract, it is imperative to check your Chesterfield traditional antique furniture for stability, especially before you purchase it. Shake it lightly to see if there is any movement that indicates lack of sturdiness. Always check the hardware to make sure it is secure and if you ever need to replace it, use original hardware if possible.
A multicoloured selction of Chesterfields
posted12/11/11
Nokia has finally released its weel-awaited windows phones-the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710.The Lumia 800 is Nokia’s “flagship Windows Phone smartphone” and is thought to be a direct competitor to phones such as Apple’s iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II. Tough competition.
The phone has a variety of specific features, in a nutshell the Lumia 800 has: a 3.7-inch display, 1.4GHz single-core processor, Eight-megapixel camera complete with Carl Zeiss optics and an LED flash with a Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.
The phone has an up-to-date and fashionable look, as well as being light weight and can easily be fitted in your pocket.
The Lumia 710, however, is being pitched as Nokia’s more ‘affordable’ version of the Lumia 800 Windows smartphone. Due to the lower price, it has a less-impressive key features list. However, it is still fantastic.
The Lumia 710 also has a 3.7-inch screen, a single-core 1.4GHz processor and a Windows Phone 7.5 operating system. However, the camera is only five-megapixels. The Lumia 710′s camera doesn’t benefit from Carl Zeiss optics. This version comes with 8GB of on-board storage. However, this can be increased easily by adding a memory card.
Both phones have a dedicated sat-nav feature, as they feature ‘Nokia Maps’ and the’ Nokia Drive’ applications.
The Nokia phones also include impressive Music apps that include a feature called Mix Radio. This offers a variety of streamed playlists, updated weekly, that can be saved to your device for offline listening for no charge.
Nokia Pulse is also another new app that’s exclusive to Nokia’s Lumia range of phones, a type of super-text messaging. Messages can be sent to groups of friends and instantly geo-tagged.
This phone has also recently been referred to as a ‘gamer’s best friend’. If you’ve got an Xbox account, you can integrate your phone into it. This means that you are able to: check when your Xbox friends are online, make changes to your avatar and keep tabs on your achievements. Also, you can also download games to play on the move..
Both the Lumia’s combine all of your social networks, so Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your chat and text messages all show up in the same place in a single conversation- it’s brilliant!
Nokia Lumina 800
Nokia Lumina 710
posted09/11/11
If like many people, you are struggling for space in your home but are unable to move house, putting a garden room in your garden may be the answer to your space (or lack of) may be the answer. Garden rooms make ideal home offices, gyms, contemporary living spaces and even a child’s playroom.
Many people add a garden room to give them extra space however they can also add a substantial amount to the value of your home. Garden rooms can be fitted with all the facilities you need if you have an electricity and water supply hooked up to your garden room. This makes garden rooms ideal if you want a garden studio or workshop. You can also fit a shower room, kitchenette, telephone and wireless internet technology plus heating and air conditioning, whatever you may need.
Garden rooms also make a good option if you’re looking to run a start-up business from your home, offering you extra space from your home without being away from home. Some garden rooms may need planning permission however they are a lot easier, cheaper and quicker to put up than an extension on your home would be, saving you time and money.
posted07/11/11
For many the UAE remains an important prospective location for work. Its development over the past few years as a financial empire of the future has led many to look for work in the emirate confederation, but with a considerably different culture to that of the West those looking for possible employment have to be ready to respect the beliefs and traditions of these countries as part of their bid to find work.
Including the major two emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the future of jobs in the UAE looks to be bright, with large amounts of development both in the financial and construction sectors providing an array of opportunities for individuals. Whilst work to foreigners is almost always awarded only on a temporary basis, a large amount of contracting still exists for outside workers, and though nations across the region have increasingly looked to educate their own younger generation, the need for foreign workers is likely to continue for the next two to three decades at a minimum.
Whilst the UAE hopes eventually to be self sufficient when it comes to workers, the continuing expansion in a number of areas has resulted in an excess of niche market jobs. Largely run on the gas and oil industries, of late the emirates have taken steps to broaden the industrial market, developing particularly strong markets in telecommunications, tourism and aviation. Providing an ideal opportunity for educated and skilled expatriates to fill the vacancies, individuals are encouraged to land job offers before visiting the country. However, for the next few years the prospects for jobs in the UAE look promising.
UAE
Picture courtesy of Masaru Kamikura
posted05/11/11
General tips
During the winter period, many plants are exposed to frost and cold, not to mention excessively wet soil. Because of this, leaves may end up ‘frost bitten’ and roots can begin to rot. So it’s highly important to protect your plants if you want a good display next year and I would suggest you act quickly. Winter is fast approaching!
How much winter plant protection you need depends on your location and how exposed your garden is. For city-livers with pretty sheltered gardens, the chances of you needing winter protection are small. However, someone who lives in the countryside and in the middle of nowhere, may require some serious winter protection.
For general protection of your garden and plants, you should just apply some bark compost or mulch around herbaceous perennials. You should use grit around the actual plants. The Mulch will keep them warm, whereas the grit will stop the water from rotting the plants stems. The mulch will also help adding organic nutrients to the soil 9it does this by breaking down over time) and also improving drainage.
While preparing your plants, you might want to take some cuttings as you go. This will be your insurance policy, and will act as your back-up if your plants don’t survive.
You will get some type of plants (echeverias) that will not withstand any frost at all. And so should be transferred to grit to stop the roots rotting. You should take cuttings by removing leaves from the bottom of the rosettes and put them into compost, waiting for roots to form. Place your succulents in a mini greenhouse so that they are sheltered.
Try using straw along with chicken wire to insulate the trunk of tree ferns. You should wrap the chicken wire around the trunk of the tree; however, you should remember to leave enough space to add a thick layer of straw. The straw, will allow lots of ventilation through to keep the trunk warm.
Bubble wrap or other types of plastic materials; allow moisture to build up around the trunk, leaving the plant prone to rotting.
Tropical plants, such as bananas will need extra protection. Remove any leaves and the side shoots, leaving just them stem. Space tall wooden stakes into the ground and around the plant. Place the stakes far enough from the trunk so that a layer of straw can be added, going all the way around the trunk. Wrap a willow screen around the outside of the stakes and tie the material on to the stakes with a string. You should do this for the whole height of the trunk.
You can protect individual alpine plants with pieces of glass or plastic over the top. The plastic or glass is easily supported with wire legs, or it could even be raised up onto bricks. It is important that it is windproof.
In order to protect a whole bed, build a wooden frame with a sheet of plastic or glass placed on top. Lots of ventilation can be achieved by leaving the sides uncovered.
posted02/11/11
Roman blinds are a luxurious, yet simple and inexpensive style of window covering. They are great for any room in the home and can be made to suit any decorating theme.
Cost
Wooden blinds, pleated blinds and some types of vertical blinds can all be a little pricey. The quality of these is great, if you’re looking for something cheaper but still effective Roman blinds make a great alternative. Roman blinds can be purchased in standard sizes or made to order. The latter are more expensive, but still reasonable priced.
Versatility
The basic design of Roman blinds is simple and elegant and because they can be made in any fabric, they are also versatile. Depending on the fabric selected, they may be contemporary, classic, traditional, elegant or simple.
Insulation
Roman blinds can be lined with fabrics that help with insulation. The lining is designed to block out sunlight to darken a room or help retain heat in the winter and block it out in the summer. With the right lining, Roman blinds can help homeowners save on energy costs, which also makes them perfect for conservatories.
Roman Blinds
posted28/10/11
Before you go ahead and create your ideal garden room or garden studio there are a number of things you must first consider. How to get an electricity supply to your garden room is a concern, as are water supply and heating arrangements. Sometimes it may be more cost effective to create a separate heating system for your garden room.
The greatest issue undoubtedly has to be obtaining planning permission and building regulation approval. Many garden rooms do not need planning permission, but you cannot take that for granted and it is always best to check with your local planning office, as well as your garden room contractor.
Whether or not you need planning permission depends upon the materials with which you are building the garden room, and whether it can be considered a house extension or not. That is where your local planning department comes in, and they will have will have the expertise to advise you accordingly.
Cost is, as ever, a major controlling factor with any big project, and most people who decide to build their ideal garden room or garden office will be looking at getting the best deal possible. However, it is always worth considering what you are going to use your garden room for before you decide on materials. A garden room that is only to be used in summer will need a lot less insulation than one that you intend on using all year round. If it is be used as a garden home office, then damp proofing is also advisable.
Garden room
posted25/10/11
Halloween is coming up soon, but so is Christmas. With everyone on tight-budgets and lack of time, we have devised some clever, ‘make it yourself costume options.’ The options we have are both cheap, as well as quick and easy to make. Bellow we have some fun options, that you may just want to try out…
Where’s Wally
It’s the 21st anniversary of the extremely-famous and entertaining Where’s Wally puzzles. Why not try and replicate this fun character this Halloween? This look is simple and easy to achieve. Firstly, pull on your favourite pair of “true blue” jeans and pair them up with some brown shoes. Next, fundamentally find a red-and-white striped turtleneck, as well as black glasses and a beanie-hat. This look is brilliant and will be easily recognised by everyone. You could even have a little fun with it! Why not try quietly popping up in photos or challenging friends to spot you in a crowd?
Where's Wally
Rubix cube
Again, dressing as a Rubix cube is simple and really easy to make. All you need is a medium-size cardboard box and a bunch of construction paper. Firstly, cut out large squares of red, blue, white, green, and orange. Place one of each colour in the middle of each side. After this, carry on and fill in all of the other surface area of the box with the random colours. Then, simply cut a hole for your head and arms, as well as cutting the flaps off the bottom for your legs. If one coloured square end up covering one of the holes you cut, then cut out a circle that too!
Rubix Cube
Picture courtesy of jaymzg
Bag of Jelly Beans
Another option would be to replicate the well-known and well-loved sweets- Jelly Belly’s. This look is so simple and can be completed from objects around the house. Simply, blow up a bunch of different colour balloons. Cut two leg holes in the bottom of a big clear plastic bag and cut two arm holes near the middle. You must then stand in the bag while you fill it with the balloons. For a finishing touch, why not loosely tie the bag around your shoulders with a colourful ribbon. Finally, cut off excess bag around face. To make it a little fancier, copy a Jelly Belly logo and enlarge it big enough to show up as a label, and then print on paper with an adhesive back, or tape/pin to the bag. You will look sweet!
Jelly beans
Picture courtesy of Jo Naylor
posted21/10/11
For UK residents who wish to pursue a personal injury or car accident claim, a new payment scheme has become available whereby your solicitor receives his or her fee only if you win your case. This is the ‘no win no fee’ compensation scheme and it has several advantages over the traditional method of paying a solicitor.
The primary advantage is, of course, monetary. You are not obligated to pay your solicitor’s salary while the case winds its slow way through the legal process. It also removes cases from the legal aid system and eliminates the independent regulator from the case, who may or may not see the merits of your situation and allow the case to move forward.
A no win no fee case is agreed on between you and the solicitor; if he or she feels your case has merit, it will be accepted. Not every case is suitable for this scheme, however, so if this is a consideration for you, a no cost, no-obligation consultation with a solicitor who specialises in this field is usually advised.
The solicitor’s fees, under the no win no fee scheme, is paid by the losing side; this means that if the other side wins, you may be liable for those costs. To alleviate worry and financial burden, an insurance policy, known as an “after-the-event” policy, is usually required to be purchased. The cost of this varies and is one that cannot usually be deferred until the case is decided.
Since there are so many factors involved, sitting down with an expert, to discuss the no win no fee scheme and everything involved is usually an excellent first step for those considering pursuing a claim.
