My Chicago Rant

Archive for April, 2010

Confusables

Words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings often cause writers and speakers trouble. Here are a few of the most common pairs with correct definitions and examples:

• ACCEPT-to receive
  He accepts defeat well.

  EXCEPT-to take or leave out
  Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one.

• AFFECT-to influence
  Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work.

  EFFECT-n., result, v., to accomplish
  The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look ominous.

  Can the university effect such a change without disrupting classes?

• A LOT (two words)-many.

  ALOT (one word)-Not the correct form.

• ALLUSION-an indirect reference
  The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf’s work.

  ILLUSION-a false perception of reality
  They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the desert.

• ALL READY-prepared
  Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived.

  ALREADY-by this time
  The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived.

• ALTOGETHER-entirely
  Altogether, I thought that the student’s presentation was well planned.

  ALL TOGETHER-gathered, with everything in one place
  We were all together at the family reunion last spring.

• APART-to be separated
  The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. OR My old car fell apart before we reached California.

  A PART-to be joined with
  The new course was a part of the new field of study at the university. OR A part of this plan involves getting started at dawn.

• ASCENT- climb
  The plane’s ascent made my ears pop.

  ASSENT-agreement
  The martian assented to undergo experiments.

• BREATH-noun, air inhaled or exhaled
  You could see his breath in the cold air.

  BREATHE-verb, to inhale or exhale
  If you don’t breathe, then you are dead.

• CAPITAL-seat of government. Also financial resources.
  The capital of Virginia is Richmond.

  The firm had enough capital to build the new plant.

  CAPITOL-the actual building in which the legislative body meets
  The governor announced his resignation in a speech given at the capitol today.

• CITE-to quote or document
  I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper.

  SIGHT-vision
  The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions in different parts of the world.

  SITE-position or place
  The new office building was built on the site of a cemetary.

• COMPLEMENT-noun, something that completes; verb, to complete
  A nice dry white wine complements a seafood entree.

  COMPLIMENT-noun, praise; verb, to praise
  The professor complimented Betty on her proper use of a comma.

• CONSCIENCE-sense of right and wrong
  The student’s conscience kept him from cheating on the exam.

  CONSCIOUS-awake
  I was conscious when the burglar entered the house.

• COUNCIL-a group that consults or advises
  The men and women on the council voted in favor of an outdoor concert in their town.

  COUNSEL-to advise
  The parole officer counseled the convict before he was released.

• ELICIT-to draw or bring out
  The teacher elicited the correct response from the student.

  ILLICIT-illegal
  The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his illicit activities.

• EMINENT-famous, respected
  The eminent podiatrist won the Physician of the Year award.

  IMMANENT-inherent or intrinsic
  The meaning of the poem was immanent, and not easily recognized.

  IMMINENT-ready to take place
  A fight between my sister and me is imminent from the moment I enter my house.

• ITS-of or belonging to it
  The baby will scream as soon as its mother walks out of the room.

  IT’S-contraction for it is
  It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

• LEAD-noun, a type of metal
  Is that pipe made of lead?

  LED-verb, past tense of the verb “to lead”
  She led the campers on an over-night hike.

• LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies)
  I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down for a while.

  (also lying, lay, has/have lain–The dog has lain in the shade all day; yesterday, the dog lay there for twelve hours).

  LAY-to lay an object down.
  “Lay down that gun, Bubba!” The sheriff demanded.

  The town lay at the foot of the mountain.

  (also laying, laid, has/have laid–At that point, Bubba laid the gun on the ground).

• LOSE–verb, to misplace or not win
  Mom glared at Mikey. “If you lose that new lunchbox, don’t even think of coming home!”

  LOOSE–noun, to not be tight; verb (rarely used)–to release
  The burglar’s pants were so loose that he was sure to lose the race with the cop chasing him.
  While awaiting trial, he was never set loose from jail because no one would post his bail.

• NOVEL-noun, a book that is a work of fiction. Do not use “novel” for nonfiction; use “book” or “work.”
  Mark Twain wrote his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when he was already well known, but before he published many other works of fiction and nonfiction.

• PASSED-verb, past tense of “to pass,” to have moved
  The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused great damage.

  PAST-belonging to a former time or place
  Who was the past president of Microsquish Computers?

  Go past the fire station and turn right.

• PRECEDE-to come before
  Pre-writing precedes the rough draft of good papers.

  PROCEED-to go forward
  He proceeded to pass back the failing grades on the exam.

• PRINCIPAL-adjective, most important; noun, a person who has authority
  The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips.

  The principal of the school does the announcements each morning.

  PRINCIPLE-a general or fundamental truth
  The study was based on the principle of gravity.

• QUOTE-verb, to cite
  I would like to quote Dickens in my next paper.

  QUOTATION-noun, the act of citing
  The book of famous quotations inspired us all.

• STATIONARY-standing still
  The accident was my fault because I ran into a stationary object.

  STATIONERY-writing paper
  My mother bought me stationery that was on recycled paper.

• SUPPOSED TO-correct form for “to be obligated to” or “presumed to” NOT “suppose to”

  SUPPOSE-to guess or make a conjecture
  Do you suppose we will get to the airport on time? When is our plane supposed to arrive? We are supposed to check our bags before we board, but I suppose we could do that at the curb and save time.

• THAN-use with comparisons
  I would rather go out to eat than eat at the dining hall.

  THEN-at that time, or next
  I studied for my exam for seven hours, and then I went to bed.

• THEIR-possessive form of they
  Their house is at the end of the block.

  THERE-indicates location (hint: think of “here and there”)
  There goes my chance of winning the lottery!

  THEY’RE-contraction for “they are”
  They’re in Europe for the summer–again!

• THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out of
  He plowed right through the other team’s defensive line.

  THREW-past tense of throw
  She threw away his love love letters.

  THOROUGH-careful or complete
  John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a speck of dust when he finished.

  THOUGH-however; nevertheless
  He’s really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the outside.

  THRU-abbreviated slang for through; not appropriate in standard writing
  We’re thru for the day!

• TO-toward
  I went to the University of Richmond.

  TOO-also, or excessively
  He drank too many screwdrivers and was unable to drive home.

  TWO-a number
  Only two students did not turn in the assignment.

• WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or persons
  Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be having difficulties in Calculus.

  WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s);not used to refer to persons
  Which section of history did you get into?

  THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of people
  I lost the book that I bought last week.

WHO-used as a subject or as a subject complement (see above)
John is the man who can get the job done.

WHOM-used as an object
Whom did Sarah choos

Abjure and Adjure

Abjure means to “renounce” or “repudiate.” Adjure means “request earnestly.” The words have little in common other than their rarity and similarity of spelling, so they should not be confused.

Adopted and Adoptive

Adopted and adoptive both mean “acquired through adoption,” but they are not synomyms. One is the reciprocal of the other. A child with adoptive parents is adopted; parents with an adopted child are adoptive. The difference lies in who is doing the adopting. The parents adopt the child, so the child is adopted. The child is adopted by the parents, and so the parents are adoptive.

Adverse and Averse

Adverse means “antagonistic.” Averse means “feeling disclined.” The word averse is more recognizable in two more commonly used forms: avert and aversion.

Affect and Effect

These words are commonly confused, and the rules given to tell them apart are often wrong. Affect means “to influence” or “to produce an effect in.” Effect means “consequence” or “that which is produced by an agent or cause.”

Many try to differentiate between the two by saying that affect is a verb, while effect is a noun. Unfortunately, it’s not so simple. The word affect can also serve as a noun, meaning “observed or expressed emotional response,” and the word effect can also serve as a verb, meaning “to become operative” or “to carry out,” as in, “to effect changes.”

Aggravate and Annoy

Aggravate means “worsen.” Annoy means “bother” or “exasperate” or “provoke.” Many speakers and writers use aggravate to mean “annoy.” Although aggravate has been used in this manner for four hundred years, considerable controversy over this use exists today. Some contend that using aggravate to mean anything other than “worsen” compromises the effectiveness of the word by blurring the distinction it has from similar words. Others argue that annoy can be said to mean “worsen one’s temper,” which suggests that aggravate is not so inappropriate to use as a synonym for annoy after all. My recommendation is to understand that aggravate means “worsen” and not “bother,” but then feel free to use aggravate in contexts where it would be taken to mean “worsen one’s temper” rather than “bother” or “irritate.”

Allude and Refer

Allude means to refer to something indirectly or covertly. Refer, without qualification, implies referring to something directly, by naming. Frequently allude is misused to mean “refer directly,” but this is an abuse of an otherwise useful, specific word.

Anxious and Eager

Anxious means “troubled” or “worried.” Eager means “having keen interest” or “impatient expectancy.” When anxious is used to describe someone’s expectancy, it is often incorrectly used to mean “eager,” which has a far more positive connotation. One may be anxious about an impending report card, but one would be eager to go on a long-awaited vacation.

Chafe and Chaff

Chafe means “to make sore by rubbing” or “irritate or annoy” or “become annoyed.” Chaff means “tease good-naturedly.” Consequently, one should not become confused with the other.

Compliment and Complement

Compliment is a “remark of praise.” Complement is “something that completes.” Note that free refreshments are complimentary; the word refers to the phrase “with our compliments.”

Continual and Continuous

Both continual and continuous describe an action or process that occurs over a long period of time. Continual, however, permits that the action may be interrupted by short breaks. Continuous means that the action never pauses. We live continuous lives, eating and sleeping continually.

Deserts and Desserts

Most English speakers understand that deserts, with the accent on the first syllable, are a dry, arid lands, while desserts, with the accent on the second syllable, are a sweet things to eat after a meal. What is often confused is that when one gets what one is deserves, good or bad, one is getting one’s “just deserts,” accent on the second syllable but spelled like the dry, arid lands.

Discomfort and Discomfit

Discomfort means “uneasiness or hardship” and “make uncomfortable.” Discomfit means “disconcert” and “defeat; thwart.” Discomfort comes from Middle English, from the Old French word desconfort. Discomfit comes from the Middle English word discomfiten, from the Old French word desconfit.

Discrete and Discreet

Discrete means “discontinuous” or “individually distinct.” Discreet means “judicious.” The words are understandably often confused, but they should remain distinct.

Effective and Effectual

Effective means “producing an effect” or “in effect.” Effectual means “producing a desired effect.” A law that is effective is only effectual when it is enforced.

Energize and Enervate

Energize means “give energy to,” while enervate means “to cause to lose vitality or energy.” Sometimes enervate is mistakenly believed to mean “energize,” and this is a grievous error, as enervate is actually an antonym of energize.

Enormousness and Enormity

Enormousness means “largeness” or “immensity.” Enormity means “depravity” or “wickedness” and also means a “crime” or “error.” Frequently the word enormity is mistaken to mean “enormousness,” which it does not. The two words do originally derive from the same Latin word, enormis, with the word enormity being derived through the French word enormite, but the distinction between the two English words has existed for hundreds of years.

Flack and Flak

Flack is a noun that means “press agent” or “publicist” and a verb that means “to act as a press agent.” Flak is a noun that means “anti-aircraft artillery” or “bursting of shells fired form anti-aircraft artillery” or, more commonly, “excessive or abusive criticism” or “dissension, opposition.” If you criticize someone, you are giving them flak, not flack.

Flaunt and Flout

Flaunt means “display ostentatiously.” Flout means to “disobey openly and scornfully” or “show contempt for.” Some use one for the other, but confusing the two words is still widely seen as an error and best avoided.

Forcible and Forceful

Forcible means “accomplished by force.” Forceful means “powerful and vigorous.” Something that is forcible can be accomplished with forceful effort.

Fortuitous and Fortunate

Fortuitous means “happening by chance” or “accidental.” Fortunate means “lucky.” A fortuitous event may be, but is not necessarily, a fortunate event.

Founder and Flounder

Founder means “to fail completely.” Often it is used to refer to a ship, in which case it means, “to fill with water and sink.” Flounder has a less severe definition; it means “to move clumsily or with difficulty” or “to make mistakes or become confused.” Although the two words are similar in spelling, they are derived from different sources. Founder comes from the Latin word fundus, meaning “bottom.” Flounder comes from Middle English, from the Anglo-Norman word floundre, of Scandinavian origin. We can flounder but recover, but when we founder, it’s final.

Full and Fulsome

Fulsome is sometimes mistaken as a synonym for full or fullest, when, in fact, its meaning bears no resemblance to full whatsoever. Fulsome means “cloying, excessive, and disgusting.” Although both words have similar etymological roots, the English definitions are divergent enough to cause some gross misunderstandings when the words are confused, particularly in incorrect expressions such as “fulsome praise” and “fulsome apologies.”

Gambit and Gamut

Gambit is a strategic maneuver. Gamut is a full range or extent.

Imply and Infer

Imply means to “hint or suggest without stating directly.” Infer means “reach an opinion from facts or reasoning.” The two terms are sometimes mistaken to be interchangeable. In actuality, they are quite distinct. The sender of an indirectly stated message is doing the implying, while a receiver that reasons what the message is is doing the inferring.

Inanity and Inanition

Inanity means “foolishness” or “senselessness.” Inanition means “lacking vigor.”

Incredulous and Incredible

Incredulous means “unbelieving” or “skeptical.” Incredible means “unbelievable” or “hard to believe.” If something incredible happens, you may be incredulous.

Ingenious and Ingenuous

Ingenious means “clever and inventive.” Ingenuous means “open, frank, and sincere” and also “naive, unsophisticated.” The words have similar origins, hence the similar spelling, but their meanings have been distinct for centuries.

Insulate and Insolate

Insulate means “to cause to be in a detached or isolated position” or “to prevent passage of heat, electricity, or sound into or out of.” Insolate means “to expose to the sun’s rays.”

Lightening and Lightning

Lightening refers to something illuminating or brightening. Lightning is what is accompanied by thunder during storms.

Loath and Loathe

Loath is an adjective, meaning “disinclined” or “reluctant.” Loathe is a verb, meaning “feel hatred or disgust for.” Confusion often arises about not only what they mean but how they are pronounced. Loath has a soft th sound, while loathe has a hard th sound.

Luxurious and Luxuriant

Luxurious means “supplied with luxuries.” Luxuriant means “growing profusely.” Some consider it acceptable to use luxuriant to mean luxurious, but the best policy is to keep the words distinct.

Mucous and Mucus

Mucous is an adjective, as in, “a mucous gland.” Mucus is a noun, as in, “There is mucus emanating from my mucous glands.”

Noisome and Noisy

Noisome means “harmful” or “offensive” or “disgusting.” Obviously it does not share any shade of meaning with noisy, and so the two words should not be confused with one another.

Passable and Passible

Passable means “capable of being passed.” Passible means “capable of feeling or suffering; susceptible of sensation or emotion; impressionable.”

Passed and Past

Passed is a past tense verb. Past can be a noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition — never a verb.

Peccable and Peccant

Peccable means “capable of sinning.” Peccant means “guilty of sinning.”

Perspicacious and Perspicuous

Perspicacious means “having or showing insight.” Perspicuous means “easily understood” or “lucid,” or, when referring to a person, “expressing things clearly.”

Practicable and Practical

Practicable means “usable,” while practical means “useful.” Not all practicable things are practical, and not all practical things are practicable.

Sanguine and Sanguinary

Sanguine means “hopeful” or “optimistic” or “confident.” Sanguinary means “bloody” or “murderous.” Obviously these are two words it’s better not to confuse, lest you convey entirely the wrong idea about something.

Stanch and Staunch

Stanch is a verb that means “restrain a flow.” Staunch is an adjective that means “firm in attitude, opinion, or loyalty.” Both words are pronounced the same way. The distinction is actually quite recent; a hundred years ago, the two words were treated as interchangeable spelling variants. Such is no longer the case, so it’s important to distinguish one from the other.

Stationary and Stationery

Stationary is an adjective that means “not moving.” Stationery is a noun that means “writing paper and envelopes.”

Titillate and Titivate

Titillate means “stimulate pleasantly” or “tickle.” Titivate means “adorn” or “spruce up.” The similarity in spelling is coincidental. Titillate comes from the Latin word titillare, which means “tickle.” Titivate is a newer word which comes from the earlier word tidivate, which is likely derived from the words tidy and elevate.

 

Tortuous and Torturous

Tortuous means full of twists and turns. Torturous means “causing or involving torture or suffering.” These words are sometimes confused because of their similar spelling, but there is no further similarity.

Turbid and Turgid

Turbid means “unclear, obscure, confused, disordered” and, when referring to liquids, “muddy, thick, unclear.” Turgid means “enlarged, swollen” and, when referring to language, “pompous, overblown grandiloquent.” Because the two words are relatively uncommon, one is often confused for the other. Turbid comes from the Latin word turbidus, meaning “disordered,” from turba, which means turmoil, possibly from the Greek word turbe. Turgid comes from the Latin word turgidus, from turgere, which means, “to be swollen.”

Venal and Venial

Venal means “open to bribery” and “corruptible” and, when referring to conduct, “influenced by bribery.” Venial means “pardonable,” when referring to a fault or sin, and “trifling, not serious” when referring to misconduct.

The above listed confusables  enables  the speaker of English  not only to enrich their vocabulary but also to use the correct form of words in their communication.It is vital that professionals be affluent in their communication and it should be comprehended that these confusables should not be wrongly used .

Wish you Good luck

Kishore

KISHORE
http://www.articlesbase.com/languages-articles/english-confusables-713268.html

At minimal effort and cost, WebPage Audio Tool easily enables you to provide a different experience for anyone who visits your Site. One thing is for sure – it is more effective than just using plain text. If you want to learn more about it, keep reading this article.

Some background

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The following process enables you to create a ‘streaming webaudio’ file – it can be played immediately without having to wait till the entire file is downloaded.

Using such technology provides numerous opportunities and advantages; for example: having audio-driven Websites which are currently taking the Internet by storm or increasing both sales and subscription rates.

Tip

There is one important rule to remember while using this technology: focus on your listeners – talk more about/to them, not about yourself. One other thing: there are many complicated and expensive solutions out there, start with the simple ones – you’ll quickly find out that it is sufficient in most cases.

Final words

Using this cost-effective WebPage Audio Tool is quite fun and easy and it requires no special skills on the user’s side. Imagine a prospect visiting at one of your WebPages and listening to one of your “talking” testimonials – what do you think the effect would be? It is advised to test it in order to explore and see how it can easily improve the productivity of your online business.

Tom Sheinberg
http://www.articlesbase.com/audio-articles/quotaudio-for-web-pagesquot-tool–the-unbelievable-truth-726745.html

Eco-buildings come in many different forms: self-sufficient or autonomous structures, self-build, wooden timbre-framed, cob cottages, traditional mud and stud, to name but a few. Some are high tech, others are low tech and some eco-architecture has even gone underground to conserve heat.

Like all good architecture, of course, modern eco-buildings with closely with the climate and attempt to harmonise with their environment. The relationship is strengthened by them passively capturing solar energy, rainwater and harnessing wind to generate energy that can be subsequently stored and used – with surplus energy often being sold to the national grid!

Now, the more environmentally-conscious architects and builders have integrated this eco-concept into commercial developments across the UK, more notably in densely populated cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester, to create work spaces that are more “self-sufficient” and “greener” to keep up with the insatiable demand from forward-thinking businesses. The balance of luxury and sustainability is now essential, and although still important, previous key attributes of a great view, gym and capacious canteen area are further down the list of requirements when searching for the right office space.

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) recently advised that non-residential properties can achieve a zero carbon output, providing that onsite renewable solutions are employed. There is a cost associated with building to zero carbon. Expenditure varies widely with both the form and use of a building. Preliminary modelling, however, suggests that the premium could range from over 30% down to as low as 5 or 10% of current baseline costs.

“We have a challenging, yet realistic timeframe for achieving zero carbon with new non-domestic buildings,” says the UKGBC. “With a trajectory in place similar to that adopted for the Code for Sustainable Homes, then a deadline of 2020 is more than feasible.”

This wave of green office development is splashing on other towns and cities across the UK too. A £50m project was irrefutably backed this year by Norwich County Council to turn a neglected area of land into eco-friendly offices. The council’s planning committee supported proposals to demolish a former electricity board site in Duke’s Wharf, creating 1,000 new jobs and a site that would include shops, restaurants and a river side path. If local authorities capitalised on pockets of disused land such as this, then would it not gradually improve the infrastructure and environment for the long term?

You’d certainly expect the National Trust in Swindon to be located in an environmentally sound building, and rather unsurprisingly, they occupy one of the greenest offices in the UK. Carbon emissions are 65% less than similar developments, largely due to a formation of photovoltaic panels (silicon panels that collect sunlight and convert it into solar energy) on the roof, which provide 30% of the annual electricity use. Eco-friendly materials, such as PVC-free linoleum and water based paints were used throughout the building.

The Jubilee library in Brighton, has become one of the main tourist attractions in the city, not before causing political controversy with its procurement by the council through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) process. Politics aside, the architecture, engineering and green elements are all blended intricately into one; using the cement in the building as an energy store to either heat or cool the building accordingly. There are also solar-controlled louvres on the vast glass exterior, which prevents the interior from over-heating.

Archirect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has found a better way to use fish and chip wrapping and old newspapers; he’s used them as insulation for the floors, walls and roof of the Eden project’s offices; making it one of the best insulated buildings in the country. The structure is also raised off the ground on timbre columns to minimise the volume of soil removed from the site during construction, and to reduce the amount of cement (one of the most un-eco-friendly products available) required to build it.

Although these are ambitious eco-projects, they have laid the green foundations for the future. The idea of a sustainable building is by no means a fad, more a long-term program that businesses, local authorities and ultimately the government will need to drive forward.

Serviced Office Company are one company situated in the UK that are taking their stance for environmentally friendly serviced offices. Not only do they offer exclusive office space in London and Manchester, they are conscious in making businesses reducing their impact on the environment. To reinfore this ethos, they have recently created and opened offices near Canary Wharf; introducing energy efficient heating and cooling systems, automated lighting and water saving devices, with all electricity provided by green energy supplier Ecotricity.

“We’re one of a kind in London,” says Simon Eastlake, General Manager. “Our new serviced offices in Canary Wharf gave us the opportunity to do something really unique and we decided not to compromise on anything, especially when it came to the environment.”

“Companies need to show not only investors but also employees that they’re aware of environmental issues. By taking serviced office space with us, they’re making a very powerful statement.”

So the future for eco-offices, and eco-buildings as a whole, is certainly bright and green if the changes are made now. You can no longer just have plants in the office to call it green

Matt Crick
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/ecooffices-should-always-receive-the-green-light-709555.html

Most of us spend hours on developing original text for our Websites while an advanced Best Article Development Software can amazingly do that for us in just few minutes. This one-of-a-kind technology gives you an exciting opportunity to effectively promote services and products on the Web at minimal effort and cost. The following review will describe how you’ll be able to quickly benefit from this special tool.

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Dan Kazinsky
http://www.articlesbase.com/article-marketing-articles/best-article-development-software–unbelievable-technique-684257.html

If you are planning to take a trip to a romantic destination, allow us to guide you to Wales and recommend that you pay a visit to Cardiff Castle. This beautiful and strange city houses within its midst, among shopping centers, museums and government buildings, a well preserved Norman castle filled with romantic history. Here is a quick run through Cardiff Castle’s troubled history, architectural modifications, interior designs as well as the attractions that it features today.

This beautiful structure dates back to the time of the Roman conquest and was built on the site of a Roman fort as early as 1091. However, the most appealing features of its design date from the 19th century when two talented dreamers tried and succeeded to recreate the Middle Ages in their own time. John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute and his talented and creative architect William Burges changed the exterior as well as the interior of Cardiff Castle. The interior of this fantasy land is decorated with Moorish designs, pleasures of the seasons and nature’s creatures while the exterior offers lush gardens and fountains making this castle a very attractive romantic destination. The troubled history that fills its walls, the kings that owned it, the heroic rebels and noblemen that were imprisoned there, complete the appeal of this beautiful Norman castle. However, the appeal of Cardiff Castle stretches to the present day as this magnificent and well-preserved structure is the home of the largest Mardi Gras in Wales, the Summer Ball of Cardiff University and of several notable rock concerts every year.

A trip through the history of Cardiff Castle takes us back to the Roman conquest when the first settlement was built there in the first century AD. The first Roman construction was a fort measuring 10 acres that probably used to be the location for workshops, stores, barracks and many other essential structures. This fort was followed by two other constructions of the same nature erected by the Romans during their stay in Cardiff. Some of the original Roman masonry lasted until after the Norman Invasion and it was incorporated into a Norman castle built by Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Gloucester around 1091. The timber and earth fortress, measuring 40 feet in height, was reinforced with stone and with a shell keep in the 12th century by the son of King Henry I, Robert “the Consul”, who was at that time the lord of the castle. Except for the gatehouse and a stairway that were added during the 15th century, there were no significant changes brought to the castle until it came in the possession of John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the 19th century. The outside as well as the inside of Cardiff Castle were embellished with magnificent Victorian additions; lush greenery, marble fireplaces and flowing fountains were used to enhance the medieval effect that Lord Bute was seeking. The interior decoration themes include astrological symbols, heraldic features, biblical characters dressed in robes, creatures of nature and pleasures of the seasons mixed with Moorish designs all used by the brilliant architect and decorator William Burges to achieve the flamboyant grandeur that Lord Bute desired.

Although the most famous episode in Cardiff Castle’s history was the imprisonment of Robert, Duke of Normandy by his brother Henry I, the King of England, the castle’s past is filled with such troubled moments. One of the major revolts of the Welsh in 1183-1184 brought severe damage to the castle walls and also to the town nearby. The problems persisted until Wales was unified under Llywelyn the Last, a charismatic Welsh leader, in 1270. At that point the castle was refortified by Gilbert de Clare in fear of further rebellion. The Despenser family, notorious in Britain for their love of conflict, took hold of Cardiff Castle in 1306 and kept it for a hundred years. During this time they imprisoned daring Welsh hero Llywelyn Bren who had instigated a riot against the English lords and brutally killed him against the direct order of the king. His death was avenged during the rebellions of Owain Glyndwr of the 15th century when the castle was assaulted. A more peaceful time in Cardiff Castle’s history came under the Beauchamps family, earls of Warwick when rebellions ended and the lords of the castle were more preoccupied with improving the castle itself and the buildings around it. In 1483 Richard, Duke of Gloucester, husband of Ann Warwick who was then owner of the castle, became King Richard III and Cardiff Castle became possession of the monarchy for the next 75 years. During the Civil War of the late 17th century the castle was sought by both Royalists and the Parliamentary forces and was eventually taken over by the army of Oliver Cromwell. The castle passed into the hands of the Bute family in 1776 which had a great impact on the development of the building as well as the city of Cardiff. As of 1947 the castle is under the care of Cardiff City Council and this beautiful Norman fortress is available for public visitation for a fee.

Aside from the historical relevance and architectural beauty of the fortress, a visit to Cardiff Castle may also bring you entertainment via social gatherings like the largest Mardi Gras in Wales, held there every summer in August, or the Summer Ball held by Cardiff University every year. Special events that take place at the site include rock concerts and other performances as the castle can host up to 10,000 people. The Stereophonics Live at Cardiff Castle concert from June1998 is one of the most notable of the events held there.

When you visit Cardiff Castle you get to take advantage of the unique fairytale atmosphere of this dream residence located near the center of the city but surrounded by the remains of ancient Roman forts and the ruins of the old Norman castle.

Article by Susan Ashby of Cardiff Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Cardiff visit http://www.cardiff-singles.co.uk

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/a-visit-to-cardiff-castle-122927.html

Sportsbettingchamp.com

 

Hallo guys,

my name is Marijo from Germany and I am recently at John Morrison incredible betting system here.

How is John Morrison?

John Morrison (created the SportsBettingChamp system) is a Cornell University Graduate with a PhD in Statistics. He is simply sharing his wealth of knowledge regarding sports betting with those who purchase his system. You may think that it would be stupid for someone to sell a system that actually wins – well my argument to you is that it really doesn’t matter that he is selling a winning system because in the “Big Picture” the sportsbooks have TONS of other players that are not betting this system and therefore they have no reasons to adjust their methods of determining sports betting lines.

John has now finally broken the silence on his ingenious sport betting system. Along with the red-hot system, John will also provide you with a lifetime of free picks.

I was very skeptical at the beginning against the betting system was when I win the loose records 2008 NBA season: 80 wins – 1 loss and 09 MLB season: 43 wins – 0 loss have read but now I am glad that I get this incredible competition System bought. The system took me by the socks hewn It Works. Almost every day I get the tips from John Morrison conveniently via e-mail sent and I play them and profits. If you also like profits will go to www.Sportsbettingchamp.com and picks out the system. You will not regret this competitive system to have acquired.I haves not there and you will not.

And Sorry for my bad english

Best Regards

Marijo

 

Marijo
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/unbelievable-basketball-and-baseball-betting-system–676648.html

Did you know that in 2006, it was estimated by the National Taxpayers Union that 60% of all property owner were paying more than their fair share of property taxes?  As of this writing surely that number has increased to perhaps 80% to 90% as property values have dropped across the nation.  Getting a property tax reduction is not that complex, though you do need to know the procedure.

It’s further estimated that only 1 out of 50 property owners actually fight to get a tax reduction, even though most of these owners would most likely win some type of savings.  And depending on the value of the property and state it’s located in, the saving can be tremendous.  Even more appealing the savings go on and on, year after year, so it is normally well worth the owners time to investigate this.

Even if you only save $500 per year, you’d save $5,000 over a ten year period…  It’s found money.

Property Tax Reduction, Known as a Property Tax Appeal

The process to fight for a property tax reduction is known as a property tax appeal.  Basically you would put together a presentation which would challenge your cities assessment of the value they deem your property to be worth.  They way you do this is by using comparable recent sales, also known as comps, to show the city official that your assessed value is higher than the market value.

For example, if your assessed value is $350,000 and the comps you provide show that similar properties to yours have recently sold for $275,000 you certainly have a case and should be able to save a considerable amount of money. 

However… as any appraiser or property tax consultant would they you, putting together a solid presentation takes some knowledge of how the process works.  You have to really know how to pick comparables.  You have to know the intricacies of the process, because your city does not want to give you a reduction.  And they are actively looking for ways to throw out your appeal. 

Bottom line, your city is fighting hard to keep its tax base fat.  They don’t want to give up programs and or to be under the microscope of accountability that the rest of us have to live under.  The city officials are smart and they do this every day.  SO, if you go before them with a mediocre presentation or weak comps they will toss out your appeal.   They often look for technicalities, like being late to the council meeting or having comps sold under “distressed” situations, etc.  To win you need to “play the game” and be prepared. 

jeff rauth
http://www.articlesbase.com/taxes-articles/fight-for-a-property-tax-reduction-688377.html

The main motto of almost every business entity in this 21st century is to globalise. In other words, it can be said that globalisation is actually helping various business entities to expand their wings beyond their geographical territories. As such, in such a volatile market, tough competition is quite logical. The main factor which acts as a catalyst in this process would be, reasonably, communication. But, this factor is quite expensive too. As long distance and International call rates come with high price rates, it becomes highly necessary for the business firms to invest some portion of their profits in communication too. These factors used to be the ponderous issues during earlier days. These days, the picture is quite different. In fact, it would be quite interesting to note that now there is a twist in the tale.

The twist in the tale has actually been made possible by the high-end technology called Voice over Internet Protocol. With this high-end technology, the users can easily access cheap VoIP calls without any hassles. This in turn helps the users to save huge amount of money on their monthly telephone bills. As a matter of fact, all these factors need to be backed up by a high-speed Internet connection. This type of voice communication is also helping the top-notch companies to manage their businesses at ease and that too, globally. In fact, nowadays, most of the ace players in the business arena are switching over to this high-end technology to save considerable rates of money. In other words, it can be said that the communication procedure in every type of business is undergoing tremendous changes. In fact, this high-end technology is helping people not only to save money but also to improve the organisational productivity of the businesses. Furthermore, while accessing VoIP calls, you can just forget the coaxial wires. This efficient technology uses the IP networks to transmit the voice data over the Internet. As a matter of fact, VoIP is now looked upon as the best alternative option over the existent PSTN services. These IP solutions are offering help to the business entities in various ways.

To access cheap VoIP calls and that too in a very hassle free manner, you would require an additional equipment known as an Analogue Telephone Adapter or ATA. This hardware or the equipment would be provided to you by your concerned service provider. The moment you sign up with them, you would get the required equipment. Now, with the support of a special software, hardware and high speed Internet connection, you can access normal phone calls without any hassles. In this process, the Analogue Telephone Adapter transmits the analogue signals into very small digital packets. The same process would then be replayed on the destination also. With this cycle of converting and reconverting, the circle of communication gets completed.

As there are numerous VoIP service providers in the market, the VoIP call rates also differ among them. You can seek the online support also to avail the best schemes and offers at ease. The cheap VoIP rates would help any business entity to manage their communication factor without any hassle. Now, communicating with various branches offices in various parts of the globe in very cheap rates would be a very easy affair.

As such, it can be concluded by saying that the cheap VoIP calls are allowing the business entities to access long distance calling at very cheap rates. Moreover, other added benefits also come complimented with these lucrative and attractive VoIP offers & schemes.

Nisha Garg
http://www.articlesbase.com/voip-articles/cheap-voip-calls-access-calls-at-unbelievable-rates-670034.html

Vilnius, the vibrant capital of Lithuania, is situated just under 200 miles east of the Baltic shore and was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Cities in 1994. It is also only 12 miles from the geographical centre of Europe – the village of Purnuskes – as designated by the French National Institute of Geography in 1989.

Founded in the early 1300′s Vilnius is dominated by the Gediminas Castle, named after the city’s founder, which features a recently restored red-bricked tower from which you get the best views of the city.

If you are in need of a miracle, stay in the old town and head off to the square just outside the 14th century Archcathedral Basilica. Once there look for a floor tile which carries the word “Stebuklas” – that’s the Lithuanian for miracle – and if you turn 360 degrees on that tile while making your wish it will come true, so local legend says!

As well as busting at the seams with churches and historic buildings ranging from 13th century, Vilnius old town contains a plethora of pubs and nightclubs providing a fantastic fusion of the old and new. As the average salary of a Vilnius worker is 500 euros per week you’ll find that prices of most things are a lot cheaper than in the UK.

For example, the average price of a pint of decent quality beer in Lithuania is around 80p and with clubs staying open until 5.00 am Vilnius is proving a popular location for weekend breaks. Although do be careful how much you have to drink as there are some ‘unusual’ tourist attractions in the city and you wouldn’t want to wake up in the ‘KGB museum of Genocide’, for example!

Outside of the old town, and in line with many of the cities who have emerged from years of communist rule, there is extensive development as Vilnius attempts to establish itself as a major Western capital city. The city offers reasonable shopping with Hugo Boss, Benetton and Zara all opening there recently.

Although with distinctly historic origins you’ll still find Vilnius offers ultra-modern WiFi hotspots and internet cafes in abundance, allowing you to stay in touch with the folks back home, if you want to! Or, you can totally escape to some remote spots; try Pavilniai park on the River Vilnia, situated in a glacial valley, which features steep, rocky cliffs, or if you’re there in summer try the River Neris beaches where the locals hang out.

Amongst one of the lesser well-known facts about the city is the fact that Vilnius is big on Frank Zappa. Or, rather it was in 1995 when an extremely keen local fan of the American rock musician managed to persuade the city council to allow him to erect the world’s only Zappa statue in one of the city’s parks!

Lithuania, as champions of Europe and winners of three successive Olympic bronze medals, are huge on basketball. If you visit during the season catch a game at the 11,000 seat Siemens Arena, home of Lietuvos Ryto in the Euroleague, or the smaller 1,700 seater Lietuvos Ryto stadium for the Lithuanian League games.

Flying time to Vilnius from the UK is just under three hours; British Airways and Lithuanian Airlines both fly there direct.

anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/vilnius-travel-guide-82624.html

Adwords And Keywords Optimizer truly brings an amazing opportunity for any Pay-Per-Click advertiser to develop new profitable campaigns in matter of just days. If you keep on struggling to find out what does or doesn’t bring sales, it seems like there’s an excellent opportunity to solve that problem once and for all. Need a true and powerful tip that’ll enable you to dramatically increase your online-income? Read more here.

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What are the main benefits?

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Article summary

Both novice and experienced affiliates/online-marketers can easily find this powerful Adwords And Keywords Optimizer easy to use and most importantly – highly effective. It would be quit easy to find other pluses provided by this remarkable ‘machine’, simply because it offers so many important opportunities for webmasters. Now that you know more about how it works it is advised to try it by yourself so you could instantly evaluate the wide range of benefits that it provides.

Joel Blumetti
http://www.articlesbase.com/ppc-advertising-articles/adwords-and-keywords-optimizer–the-unbelievable-truth-682900.html