If you are looking for a nice get-a-way weekend, with all the charm of a country town and yet all the opportunities of a thriving city, then Belfast is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy life! Belfast is the second largest city in Ireland, Dublin being the largest, and with a population of over 200,000 it is filled with the charm of an old town shipping port alongside a thriving metropolis. Belfast originated centuries ago as a shipping passage through the Irish Sea, protected on one side by Ireland and the other by England. Today it is quickly gaining the reputation as being the place to go for “a break”, even more than Glasgow or London! Once you get here, either by boat or plane, you have a choice either to stay inside your bed and breakfast, or get out and see what Belfast has to offer. Below is a list of some of the things to do while in the area: - Shine – nightclub plays extreme techno for dancing and disco. - Crown Liquor Saloon – Is decorated in ornate, Victorian-era pub and is full of friendly faces. - Ulster Museum – displays many artifacts of early Ireland and treasures from the Spanish Armada - W5 – children’s Museum - Ormeau Baths Gallery – well-known contemporary art gallery. Specialty shop inside. - Linen Hall Library – Library founded in 1788, beautiful architecture. - Customs House – Historic site. - Belfast Castle – tour a majestic castle dating back to 1870’s. - St. Anne’s Cathedral – outstanding architecture; religious site. - Grand Opera House – opera - Cathedral Quarter – in upscale neighborhood, buildings of glass and chrome, cafes and wine bars. Scenic/historic walking area. - Botanical Gardens and Palm House – walkthrough gardens. - Belfast City Centre and Laganside Walk – historic walking tour around downtown area. - Harland and Wolff Shipyard – shipyard down at the docks – where Titanic was built - Mountains surround city and make a beautiful place to spend a day hiking, picnicking, horseback riding. - Have a fresh seafood dinner out on the Pier. Belfast is the kind of get-a-way everybody needs every so often. Its quaint restaurants and pubs, old town background, and the dated architecture can’t help but lend a friendly atmosphere to all who enter. Whether you take a weekend, a week or three weeks, there is plenty for you and your family to do. If you need a rest, you can always slip down to the beach for a relaxing afternoon walking the shoreline and soaking up the sun. But once you come to Belfast, you’ll see why it is becoming the get-a-way city of Ireland.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
The dance of change
Though many are afraid of change, our world today has made it decidedly clear that, like it or not, change is and continues to be a constant. Not only that, it is an increasingly consistent constant. Like it or not, there’s no avoiding this invitation to dance. Yet if we have learned to flow with this dance, if we have found a way to see ourselves as a partner in the process of change, we have a chance. If we have been attuned enough to have caught a whiff of the winds of change even before it arrives, dreaming and planning and making ourselves ready, and if we are aligned with the Tao that is moving within the seemingly chaotic wind that change comes on, then the beauty in that change is ours for the beholding. We are not blindsided, we are a co-creator with a front-row seat. To make matters better, we are not lost and tossed about when the storms inevitably come by. As a participant, we know when to hold still, and when to move. When to take cover, and when it is safe to come out again. We are intuitively strategic, gleaning the very best moments that arise while others who had expected only sunshine are running in circles, damp with fear. But How? Most of the time, we see ourselves as fixed. My name is Robin. I am a writer. I live in Annapolis, Maryland. I drive a gold Saturn four-door. I live with my partner Brian. My mother and father in-law are good friends. I eat mostly organic food. I can’t run anymore due to bad knees. This is my life. This is what the folks in the Harry Potter books would call the Muggle view of life. Yet we are not fixed. Like Harry, there is more to us. More than even we know. And when we take on the role of dance partner in relationship to the changes that move around and through us—especially the ones that seem forced upon us from an outside event—that “more” is our god-send. Doing The Two-Step The first step in this new dance is to accept that we must become more than we thought we were, which includes letting go of more than we thought we could as well as offering more than we thought we had. In doing so, we draw on the inherent magic within for the creation of our true intentions. We step out of the role of victim, and determine ourselves to play with whatever materials we are presented with. With such an attitude, we can replicate the Taj Mahal with soda caps and Popsicle sticks. Then comes the even more courageous step two. If we are going to find the beauty in being a creator in this life, and the mother of anything, we must accept that not only will we die, but what we create will die as well. (All of it will be reborn of course. That is just another layer in the larger creative chaos-to-harmony and harmony-to-chaos merry-go-round that is our existence.) The flower, the child, the businesses, the books, the marriages (even the ones that last until death), the name we carry, the car we drive—all of it is going to go. Yet even this has its inherent beauty. With death held respectfully in one hand, we have immediate access to how precious and beautiful all of life is. What is changing will never be again, and so our only option is to enjoy it in all its stages. To dance with wild abandon, as if this is all there is.
Be disciplined with your first credit card
It can be so easy to think of the funds available to you through your credit card as free money, especially when it’s your first card. You never actually see any cash—you just hand the cashier this piece of plastic that some nice company sent you in the mail, and the cashier gives you your purchases. You don’t see the cash until it starts disappearing from your savings, after you’ve maxed your credit card out and are buried up to your neck in late fees and penalties, and your credit score starts going down the tubes. That’s why it’s so important that you establish disciplined credit card practices from the first day you get your card. Responsible credit card use can build you a great credit history and help you toward a great future, but reckless credit card use can throw your finances off-course for years. Start on the right foot with your credit card, and side-step the worries. The most valuable piece of advice you can when it comes to responsible credit card use is so simple that many people overlook it: never carry a balance. Especially when you’ve only just started using your credit card, you should never make purchases with it that you don’t already have the money to pay off. This might seem counterintuitive. If you already had the money, why would you be using a credit card? Learning to use your credit card intelligently when you first start out requires a little re-thinking of what your credit card can provide you. You should think of it as a means to build good credit, possibly get rewards points, and a source of funds for extreme emergencies—and that’s all. Most credit cards available to first-time users don’t have the best interest rates, so overextending your budget on your first card is never a good financial move. You’re paying more interest on the loaned money than you should, and by paying more interest, you’re making it less likely that you’ll be able to pay off your balance. If you can’t pay off your mandatory minimum, you’re incurring even heavier fees, making it even less likely that’ll you’ll be able to pay off your balance. To add insult to injury, if you’re falling behind on your payments it will affect you’re credit score, making it less likely that you will be able to get a credit card or loan with a better interest rate in the future. Sound like fun? This might all sound like an extreme example, but exactly this is happening to more and more people every day. Don’t get caught up in the cycle of bad debt. Keep careful track of your credit card expenses, only using it when you are certain that you will have the money to pay your balance at the end of the month. Make sure that you always make your payments, and always make them on time, to avoid costly an avoidable fees and penalties. It might seem difficult, but a little discipline will go a long way toward protecting your financial future. By using your card sparingly, you will be building a stronger credit history, making yourself eligible for better credit cards and loans with lower interest rates. Then, if you absolutely have to, carrying a balance won’t be as costly. Not only that, but you will be teaching yourself highly valuable budgeting skills that will help improve your quality of life, for the rest of your life. So which sounds better—budgeting carefully, or a new flat-screen TV that you wouldn’t be able to afford without your credit card?
Saturday, October 1, 2016
The role of an autism support group
Having an autistic child or dependent adult is very draining on both caregivers and relatives. Knowing how to advocate and care for you your loved ones, while increasing general awareness, and caring for yourself are essential day to day necessities that require your immediate attention. the best resource to help you cope with an autistic child or dependent adult is an autism support group. These groups bring together professionals that are experts in the field of autism and those who interact with autism on a day to day basis. Together they use this forum to swap ideas, and encourage, and educate each other. An autism support group to be effective must play five critical roles on a day to day basis. Partnership and Comprehensive Support An autism support group must help bring people together and aid in the formation of partnerships to encourage interaction and growth between all involved. This support will provide a foundation upon which the groups members will grow and participate in the educational opportunities that are available and help match the needs of the autistic dependents with the needs of their families and caregivers. The support group should also provide Comprehensive support that is directed towards the objective that all autistic dependents receive a complete or traditional education designed specifically to the needs of the autistic. Positive and Educational Support Another major function of an autism support group is to offer positive support to the autistic child, and their caregivers by providing an atmosphere of encouragement and a safe environment to vent and express one’s emotions without fear of reprisal or judgment. This positive support will help break down barriers, and allow positive accomplishments to flourish and be recognized. All the positive support in the world will accomplish nothing without building a solid foundation for education and the support group must promote educational programs to increase the knowledge of its members and prepare them with the information needed to be able to care for and support their loved ones. As an educational resource the support group becomes tasked with the responsibility for disseminating information about the disability, its symptoms, and treatments, and to provide support for the family's with autistic dependents. Advocacy The final and most critical function of an autism support group is their role as an advocate to protect and educate those that do not understand autism and often neglect the needs of the autistic patients as a result. An autism support group must represent the autistic community and push for the needs of the autistic community at large..
Should you get a mortgage refinance loan to pay your debts
Not all debts are created equal, nor are borrowers. Some may make it while others fail to pay up. What could be amiss? Who should get mortgage refinance loans? There should be some reservations about getting a mortgage refinance loan. According to Newsweek International (Sept. 3, 2007), more and more Americans cannot pay their mortgages, and it is estimated that in 2007, some 2 million families will lose their homes. Mortgage refinance companies are painfully aware of this and are carefully screening applications for mortgage refinance loans. If you are thinking of getting a mortgage refinance loan, do not expect the loan companies to approve your application on the spot. They will review and check your credit scores and check out the equity you are putting up. They will go through your employment files to find out if you are a good or bad credit risk. Indeed, these are hard times and nobody is taking any chances. Before you get an application form, assess the situation objectively. Are you getting the best deal? Will the new loan really get you out of the financial mess you are in? Are you willing to put up your house for equity? Do you understand all the money talk and legalese? Is your family ready for a downsized lifestyle? Is your job stable? The questions could go on and on. If you answered yes to all those questions, then get a mortgage refinance loan. Better yet, employ the services of a mortgage adviser to smooth out the rough spots for you. The mortgage counselor will assess your situation and help you with your financial records before you take action. What’s in it for you if you get mortgage refinance loan? When you take out a mortgage refinance loan, you are taking a longer loan term because it has lower interest rates. An average of 15 years is the usual loan period. Take the time to find and get the best deal. Check out different loan companies and compare their going rates. Another consideration you should study is the monthly bill you have to pay for the next 15 years. Are you up for it? Are you comfortable with the amount you have to shell out monthly? You must be able to get a loan with an interest rate lower than 2 percent. All your efforts of getting a mortgage refinance loan will go to waste and you might end up losing your home. People get the wrong idea that lower interest rates are the best deal only to find out after the transaction has been set that they are paying more than they can afford to. They think that if they switch their present mortgage to a new one, they will be putting more money in their wallets. They get a new loan to save money - a big mistake. This is usually what happens. When they have only a about 10 years to pay off their existing loan, they only extend the number of years to pay off the loan. Instead of seeing the end of the loan in 15 years, they get a new 30-year fixed rate contract. This is prolonging the agony of paying off debts. Look for the advantage A mortgage refinance loan will give you the convenience of lowered monthly bills, and even pay off outstanding credit card debt, which, as we all know, collects exorbitant interest rates. By paying off the credit card debt, you will have extra cash to pay other monthly bills. Whatever your decision may be, think of the future. If you get mortgage refinance only to lose your home, then you have not taken the advantage. Instead, you were taken advantage. So look before you leap and you won’t fall in the cracks.
Home schooling for second grade spelling words
If you are considering or doing home schooling there are some benchmarks you can use. When your child has reached the equivalency of second grade they have already learned a host of language items. One of these critical learning elements is that of correct spelling. Home educators just like teachers work diligently to reinforce spelling words at the second grade level. As a home educator you can follow the methodical approach to teaching second grade spelling that is used by education professionals. This approach makes the process predictable and comfortable for the children in the home classroom. Following a systematic process allows the child to get comfortable with the learning process. Structure provides a sense of security for the child in dealing with second grade speeling words. A list of curriculum is generally organized by vowel sounds. This provides an added bonus of understanding phonics while learning vowels as a part of spelling. This is better than creating a haphazard list of 2nd grade spelling words as educators can choose to introduce them by sound and by common elements, namely vowels. When using the vowel approach generally the short "a" vowel sounds are first. This is a deliberate approach since "a" is the first vowel in the alphabet, it is the wise letter of choice in this first list of 2nd grade spelling words. This is especially true since children often see terms such as "cat, hat, and bat" on this list. That of course is followed by the short "e" vowel sound. The list then follows the next vowel by the order of the alphabet and so on. In this early spelling area for second grade spelling words a simple approach is used where only one syllable words with short vowel sounds are introduced. Once a home student has demonstrated a mastery of these short vowel lists of 2nd grade spelling words they are ready to move on to more complex and more challenging words. Generally combinations of vowels, specifically words that end in “e” are now used. The same alphabetical list used with the short vowel sound collection of 2nd grade spelling words is used for the more advanced combinations. After learning to spell words that end in the letter "e" vowels are paired in small words like "mail". This methodical approach involves careful planning and organization. In following the structured strategy you will watch your child maximize their learning potential.
How to do what you love in a home business
There are many ways that you can turn a great passion into a business. The first thing that you should use is technology because it can allow you to bring the things that you love into the front line of what you are doing for a living. You can also utilize aspects of marketing and customer service to find great customers for yourself. By doing these three things, you can build up a customer base for the thing that you are passionate about, and turn it into the best way you have to make money. By using these few things you can make yourself a business that you are proud of. The one thing that most people have problems with is allowing their passions to burn out when they decide to do it for a living. This is something that you have to be careful about, because if you don’t have the personal drive to turn what you are doing into a full time work load, you might find that you are much more susceptible to burning out on something that you had previously thought was a huge passion of yours. This should be the first step in turning your passions into your job. If you are finding that you can indeed turn your passions in to your job, you'll find that there is great reward in doing things your own way. You can find something that you love to do, turn it into the way that you make money and be very happy and satisfied with everything that your life now has to offer you. There is great benefit in the fact that you won't have to learn a new skills, and that your business can be created quickly, probably using a lot of the materials that you already have laying around. Once you've decided that this is the path you'd like to take, you can begin by figuring out how many employees you are going to need, what your business plan strategy is going to be, and what you want to do next. You can give yourself a little bit of time to get everything set up, so make sure you have a little bit of money saved up to get your through your transition. Next you can move on to the most rewarding aspects of working at a home business – being able to do something that you love, do it well, and enjoy every single moment of it. A good business plan will be the key here because it will allow you the chance and opportunity to really get down to work and to get your business done in a fashion the benefits you and takes up as little time as possible.
Relationships but i never meant that
Communication is the key to any relationship. With bad communication, problems crop up at unexpected places. This is a classical case. I am feeling very hurt because of what you said. When did I say that? Two days back. But I never meant that. I do not know what you meant, but it has been hurting me since then. Oh, I am sorry. I genuinely never meant that. Why did you not ask me then and there? I was very hurt to ask. Oh, I am very sorry. What you say can make a big difference to your relationship. How will the listener know what you mean? The listener only picks up your words and makes interpretation. Choosing right words while communicating is important. If you know about your partners sensitivities about a subject, you have to be very careful while talking even in jest. Your tone has to be perfect and you have to be careful while speaking. You never know when you will hurt your partners feelings. This communication care is very important if the relationship is already going bad and you wish to save it. Freedom in communication can be taken if you are sure that your partner understands you well and will not take any talk otherwise. In that case, you both behave like close friends, who speak their mind without bothering. If the relationship has not reached that level you have to be careful while talking. Loose talk can spoil a relationship.
The wedding cake
The wedding cake is the first thing your guests notice when they walk into the Reception hall. The cake sets the tone of the wedding as formal or informal. In ancient times weddings took place after the harvest and cakes were considered a symbol of good luck. Wedding cakes gave good luck to the newlyweds, and passing out pieces of cake was a way of sharing that luck with friends and neighbors. The traditional wedding cake of three or more round stacked layers, is what comes to mind when most people think “wedding cake” However, your wedding cake can be any shape or style you wish. I have seen all kinds of cakes used for wedding cakes, from multi-tiered heart shaped cakes with several smaller hearts on pedestals attached to the main tower by cascading ribbons, and plastic bridges. It was really beautiful. I also know a couple who met at a hockey game. Their wedding cake was a sheet cake decorated to look like a hockey arena. Obviously it was a very informal wedding, and a second marriage for both. A sheet cake can be decorated with elegance, for an informal wedding. It is your wedding, you can have any kind of cake you want. Most brides show up for the first meeting with a cake designer/decorator, with an image in her head of the perfect wedding cake, that she may have dreamed about since childhood. The designer will do everything in her power to bring that image into reality. Go to the meeting the approximate number of guests, your color scheme, a sketch however primitive of what you want your cake to look like and possibly a picture from a magazine that is close to what you want the cake to look like. The designer will also want to know what flavor you want the cake and icing to be. They may even have samples for you to taste. If you want a formal wedding but still want to add a touch of whimsy have fun with the grooms cake. The wedding cake can be as elegant as you want, but have the groom’s cake reflect something about the groom, his hobbies, job etc. Does he like Nascar have a race car, the options are endless. If another special family occasion is the same day as your wedding, try to recognize it some way. A friend of mine got married on her father-in-law’s birthday, so she had the top layer of her wedding cake decorated as a birthday cake for him. He was so delighted. All of these kinds of things need to be discussed with the cake designer, well in advance of the big day. You can get wedding cakes at most bakeries, but I’d suggest looking for one whose specialty is wedding cakes. You don’t have to limit yourself to the traditional cake. I knew a bride whose wedding cake consisyed of hundreds of filled cupcakes, artfully arranged to resemble the traditional wedding cake, each of the five layers had a different type of filling. It was amazing!
Product sourcing strategies for the new year 5 ways to boost your ebiz
There’s no better time than the New Year to re-evaluate your product sourcing strategy. You can’t look at your product sourcing in 2007 the same way that you did in 2006. Consumer trends cycle and change—you need to understand what buyers want NOW. According to seasoned trend-spotter Lisa Suttora, of WhatDoISell, there are five specific strategies you should be incorporating to see your eBiz succeed in the coming year: •Niche Down The first strategy is to source vertically, or focus in on your niche. Explains Suttora, “Online shoppers want depth of inventory and a selection they can’t find down the street or at Wal-Mart. Last year, the small online sellers who concentrated on their specialty and became the go-to place for their specific sub-niche, far out-sold the larger, more generic online stores.” Rather than carry a few selections of many various types of lamps, try drilling down and getting specific with your offerings, such as kerosene lamps for power outages or natural lighting lamps for home offices. This allows you to leverage your inventory capital and marketing efforts. You can focus your product sourcing efforts, rather than investing in different product categories or attending trade shows for multiple industries. •Don’t Limit Yourself Use multiple supplier channels. Even though you’re purchasing in a narrow niche, you don’t want to limit yourself to only using one supplier, or one type of supplier. Various product sourcing methods bring different strengths to your business and provide you with different opportunities. Drop shipping is a great way to test out new products, while liquidation and overstocks provide excellent loss leaders and add variety to your lineup. Using different channels gives you a well-rounded supplier list, and the most diverse product line possible. •Think Locally Regional Sourcing can give you a unique position in the market and eliminate a lot of competition. Look for products that are exclusive to your region, but that people from around the country might be interested in. While you don’t need to build your entire product line around regional sourcing, you can supplement your existing line with products that buyers in other areas don’t have access to. For example, if you sell decorative lamps, you might look for local artisans that make uncommon lamps. Unique products that have a story often go for a much higher price online. •Share the Knowledge Bundle information with products. Customers are reporting that they want more than just a product—they want to know how to use it. So create a tip sheet or small eBook, or find someone from a site like elance or craigslist to create one for you. For instance, if you sell special garden tools, you might buy some little books on Japanese gardening tools that people don’t know how to use. You could then sell your tools with the book telling customers step-by-step how to use them. By constructing a One-Stop Shopping experience for your customers, you’re adding value to your product and eliminating your customers’ ability to comparison shop. •Be Proactive Act on your knowledge. It doesn’t do any good to assimilate great suggestions and ideas on sourcing products more effectively, if you don’t actually implement the tips and information you learn. Product sourcing is an ongoing effort. Encourages Suttora, “Don’t just think about it—take action. Put these things into play and get outside that box. You will be amazed at the kind of business you’re going to be able to build this year.”
Mortgage refinance tips determining your income
When you apply for a refinance, debt consolidation or purchase mortgage, one of the most important factors in qualifying for the loan is your income. That may not seem like much of a surprise, but you may be surprised at all of the different ways your income can be calculated based on how well you can document it, and how much this can affect your loan process. Get a leg up on the loan officer and learn how to determine your income yourself. Your lender looks at your income on the basis of how well you can document it, and will allow you to borrow more money at lower rates the more you can document your income. If you have been in your job for a while and have years of W2 statements, IRS filings, and bank statements you probably fall into the Full Documentation or “Full Docs” basket. Typically you can borrow the most money as a percentage of the property’s value with a full doc income verification. If you are on a salary and you get two checks a month, take the gross amount before taxes on your check and multiply by 2. That’s it, that’s your income (of course you’ll need to present a little bit more documentation to the lender!). If you get paid once every two weeks you can multiply the gross amount before taxes on your check by 26 (as there are 26 pay periods in a year) and then divide by 12, the number of months in the year. Hourly employees should multiply their hourly pay by 173 to get their monthly pay, unless of course you earn substantial overtime or commissions. In the event you earn substantial overtime or commissions/bonuses, you will have to pull out your W2s from the last few years and average them, usually just the past two years are used. So add up all sources of documented income for each year and divide by 24. Self-employed / 1099 individuals should pull out Schedule C of their last two tax returns, add up the Profit line (which indicates how much money you told the IRS you made) for both years and divide by 24. If you earn money from rental of a property or any part thereof, you must have a legal rental contract and necessary local approvals to rent the property just to include the rental income at all, and you will only be able to use a portion of this rental income because lenders will assume that there is some risk of vacancy in the future. If you cannot fully document and verify your income or the bulk of it comes from commissions, bonuses or self-employment you may be able to apply on the basis of “Stated Income”, where if you have a sufficiently high credit score (in most case 620 or better but in special cases as low as 580) you are allowed to simply state to the lender what your income is. Stated income loan programs generally reduce the amount of money you can borrow in a cash out refinance, debt consolidation or purchase loan, and people who are on a fixed income such as social security or pension are not eligible for stated income programs. There are also a variety of limited document programs and even no document or “no docs” mortgage programs available for people with good credit and fixed incomes who need to borrow less than 70% of the value of their property.