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Archive for the ‘CITY COUNCIL NEWS’ Category

Located in the South West of Britain, Devon, is a big county. The county touches the borders with Cornwall in the west and Dorset and Somerset in the east. Its shore line follows the English Channel in the south and the Bristol Channel in the north. This is the only county in Britain with two separate beach fronts.

Devon, the third in size of the English counties has a population of 1,109,900. The cathedral city of Exeter is the county town and the county has two independent governing authorities, city of Plymouth which has a port and the Torbay urban sprawl of seaside tourist resorts that are added to Devon County Council.

Plymouth is the largest city in Devon. Most of the county has rural background which includes National Park land and density of population is low by British standards. 950 km2 (365 square miles) are covered by Dartmoor.

Britains only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site is situated in the county. Famous as the Jurassic Coast for its geology and geographical features the Dorset and East Devon Coast are also located here. Along side its neighbour Cornwall, Devon is popular as the Cornubian massif.

This geology of both National Parks gives rise to the landscapes of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Devon has many seaside tourist resorts and several historic towns, cities and villages. Its weather is very mild, which attracts large number of tourists and helps in its economy.

The name Devon was kept by the Celtic people, who inhabited the southwestern peninsulas area of Britain at the time when Romans invaded in 50AD. In his 1607 edition of Britannia, William Camden, explained Devon as one part of an ancient and wider area that once contained Cornwall.

There is a dispute over the use of word Devonshire in place of Devon, which means who? and officially it is not recognized by the term Devonshire in these modern times, except for the name of the Dorset Regiment and Devonshire. Another theory that says the shire was added due to a mistake while making the original letters protected for the Duke of Devonshire who was a resident in Derbyshire.

One of the rural counties is a part of the seafront of Torquay, in south Devon at high tide with the problems and advantages that are related to these. In spite of this, the county’s economy is dependant heavily by, Plymouth and Exeter, its two main urban centres.

Like neighboring Cornwall, which lies in the west, Devon has a disadvantage of economically weighed by other parts of southern Britain, because it has seen the decline of several core industries, noted among them are farming, fishing and mining. So consequently, major parts of Devon have succeeded in qualifying for the European Community Objective 2 status, especially around Bideford Bay, Exmoor and the Hartland Point peninsula, which is a little bit cut off from main industrial Britain, due to its poor up keep of road and rail transport links.

Well, there is plenty to digest here about Devon and hopefully has given you food for thought.

Frederick Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/devon-uk-info-for-tourists-and-visitors-698286.html

The 18th arrondissement of northern Paris is located on the Right Bank of the Seine River. Its land area is about 2.3 square miles (a sliver over six square kilometers). The population is one hundred eighty five thousand and the area is home to about seventy thousand jobs.

The distinctive Moulin Rouge (Red Mill or windmill) is the central highlight of this historic district. It is one of the world’s best-known nightclubs or to use the French term, cabaret. The Moulin Rouge was built in 1889 by the owner of the Olympia, Paris’s oldest music hall located in the neighboring ninth district. You can’t miss this building because of the imitation red windmill on the roof. Josephine Baker, Frank Sinatra, Mistinguett, Edith Piaf, and many other famous entertainers regularly played the Moulin Rouge. The story has it that Elvis had a crush on a can-can dancer and never went to Paris without stopping at the Moulin Rouge.

This cabaret’s most unusual star was undoubtedly Joseph Pujol, who performed under the name Le Petomane. His act consisted of “singing” from a rather unexpected body opening. His “songs” included the French National Anthem, La Marseillaise, and an imitation of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. I’m told Sigmund Freud used to catch his act. Believe it or not, for many years Pujol was the highest-paid entertainer in France. A present-day British comedian Mr. Methane dressed like a superhero does the same sort of thing, but to my knowledge has not played the Moulin Rouge.

This historic cabaret, arguably the site where striptease was born, has been immortalized in paintings by Toulouse Lautrec and to a lesser extent by two films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, the 1952 version starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa-Zsa Gabor and the 2001 version starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman.

Butte Montmartre is a hill about four hundred feet (one hundred thirty meters) high not very much more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Moulin Rouge. Its height and natural beauty have attracted religious ceremonies since time immemorial. Montmartre was probably used for druid ceremonies in the distant past. It once hosted a temple to the Roman god of war Mars. Saint Denis, the Bishop of Paris and the patron saint of France, founded a church there before he was martyred in the mid-Third Century. His church, the relatively unknown Saint Pierre de Montmartre, claims to be the founding location of the Jesuit order of priests. You are more likely to visit the hill’s other church, the Basilica du Sacre Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) described below.

The area itself was the site of the first Paris Commune insurrection in 1870-1871 and its former gypsum mines serve as unmarked tombs for many partisans of this French revolution. The whole affair was pretty bloody and the Archbishop of Paris was one of its many martyrs. When Paris was reconstructed in the Eighteenth Century by Napoleon III and his minion Baron Hausmann, the poor people of Paris were driven out of the city center to Montmartre and other parts of the outskirts.

From the late Nineteenth Century until the end of World War One Montmartre was home to the artists and their milieu. Among those who hung their hats in Montmartre were Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh. The list goes on and on. In later years the artistic center of Paris, and in fact the world, switched from Montmartre to Montparnasse located in the south of Paris. In 1965 in his famous song La Boheme the popular French singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour tells the story of a painter reminiscing about his youth in a Montmartre that has ceased to exist: Je ne reconnais plus/Ni les murs, ni les rues/Qui ont vu ma jeunesse/En haut d’un escalier/Je cherche l’atelier/Dont plus rien ne subsiste/Dans son nouveau decor/Montmartre semble triste/Et les lilas sont morts (’I no longer recognize/Neither the walls nor the streets/That had seen my youth/At the top of a staircase/I look for an atelier/Of which nothing survives/In its new decor/Montmartre seems sad/And the lilacs are dead’).

Montmartre is no longer bohemian. But what is? If you stroll around the Place du Tertre you won’t have any trouble finding artists, some of whom are struggling. Many renowned artists and other cultural figures such as Jacques Offenbach and Francois Truffault are buried in the Cimetiere de Montmartre (Montmartre Cemetery).

In 1873 Paris city council expropriated land at the summit of Montmartre for the construction of the Basilica. The foundation stone was laid in 1875 and the church was opened for services in 1891. The Basilica was only completed in 1914, and formally dedicated after the end of World War I. Go to top of the dome for a spectacular panoramic view of Paris, which lies mostly to the south. The church and its surroundings have often starred in films, most recently the 2001 movie Amelie. You may want to take the funicular (cable-car) to get to the top of the hill.

Among Montmartre’s museums you will find the Musee de Montmartre, the house where the painter Maurice Utrillo lived and worked in a second-floor studio. Several other well-known artists including Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived here. In 1990 his painting Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre featuring local people sold for more than $78 million. You might also want to stop by the Espace Dalí, a museum devoted to the famous Spanish painter Salavdor Dalí. More extensive collections of his work are found in Figueres, Spain and Saint Petersburg, Florida. Another museum is the Musee de l’erotisme in the nearby Pigalle section of the district. Do you need a translation?

When we launched this series we promised you a Paris vineyard. The fifteenth arrondissement in southern Paris also hosts a vineyard. But Montmartre’s vineyard is much more famous. Local intellectuals planted the vineyard in 1934. They chose a northern exposure (is Paris really that hot, temperature wise?) and organized the first grape picking a year after the planting, about three years too early. This ceremony attracted both the President of the French Republic and the Minister of Agriculture. With the exception of the World War II years, every October the grapes are picked and wine is made in the cellar of the Mairie (the local City Hall). Local artists paint labels for the bottles, sold in April at a charity auction. Yet one more reason to visit Paris and Montmartre in the spring.

Of course you don’t want to tour Paris without sampling fine French wine and food. Let me suggest a sample menu: Start with Foie Gras avec Gelee de Viognier (Goose Liver Pate with Viognier Jelly). For your second course savor Chevreau a l’Ail et Herbes Sauvages (Baby Goat with Garlic and Wild Herbs). And as dessert indulge yourself with Granite aux Pommes et Calvados (Apple and Calvados Ice). Your Parisian sommelier (wine steward) will be happy to suggest appropriate wines to accompany each course.

Levi Reiss
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/i-love-touring-paris-the-historic-eighteenth-arrondissement-719211.html

For those who’ve thought about relocating to an island paradise such as the United States Virgin Islands, but have hesitated about leaving the continental U.S. behind, here is some information on just how easy it is to make the move.

Of course, if you have a business that you want to bring to the USVI to take advantage of the Economic Development Council corporate benefits program you are not required to buy any real estate, residential or commercial. You can still qualify for the EDC business program, save taxes on your business profit, lease the commercial or office property you need, and rent a condo or apartment.

Chances are you may well fall in love with the beautiful islands and decide to stay year round. You might also buy residential real estate and rent it out the half a year you are away.

Whatever you choose to do, you have plenty of options. While the large apartment communities of 100+ units or more, with clubhouse, pool, laundry room and perhaps gated entrance, are not to be found in the U.S. Virgin Islands, there are lovely apartments of various sizes and styles in large homes or estates that have been subdivided. You can also find condo communities that range from standard to sumptuous, some right on or near the beach, and many with group activities or public areas.

There is also plenty of commercial property for sale or lease for your business if and when it qualifies for the EDC program.

With the Virgin Island’s crystal blue Caribbean water, its exotic fauna and flora, its pristine white sands and some of the world’s best scuba diving and snorkeling, the lure of the tax savings and corporate benefits through the area’s Economic Development Council are just an added plus to living in a sumptuous wonderland of natural delights.

Whatever you want and enjoy, you can find it here. Whether it is rain forest, mountain trails, sunny beaches, or breathtaking views along majestic bike trails, you can find it in the United States Virgin Islands.

To start your application process for the USVI EDC program and start on the road to corporate benefits and tax savings in the world’s greatest paradise, contact the nearest USVI Economic Development Council office today. They are located in Washington DC, New York City, and on both St. Croix and St. Thomas islands.

Garland Choate
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/living-and-saving-in-usvi-129356.html

As millions of baby boomers reach retirement age and U.S. health care costs soar, Mexican nursing home managers expect more American seniors to head south in coming years.

Mexico’s proximity to the USA, low labor costs and warm climate make it attractive, although residents caution that quality of care varies greatly in an industry that is just getting off the ground there.

Here’s more:

After Jean Douglas turned 70, she realized she couldn’t take care of herself anymore. Her knees were giving out, and winters in Bandon, Oregon, were getting harder to bear alone.  Douglas was shocked by the high cost and impersonal care at assisted living facilities near her home. After searching the Internet for other options, she joined a small but steadily growing number of Americans who are moving across the border to nursing homes in Mexico, where the sun is bright and the living is cheap.

For $1,300 a month–a quarter of what an average nursing home costs in Oregon–Douglas gets a studio apartment, three meals a day, laundry and cleaning service, and 24-hour care from an attentive staff, many of whom speak English. She wakes up every morning next to a glimmering mountain lake, and the average annual high temperature is a toasty 79 degrees.  "It is paradise," says Douglas, 74. "If you need help living or coping, this is the place to be. I don’t know that there is such a thing back (in the USA), and certainly not for this amount of money."

An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 American retirees already live in Mexico, many of them in enclaves such as San Miguel de Allende or the Chapala area, says David Warner, a University of Texas public affairs professor who has studied the phenomenon. There are no reliable data on how many are living in nursing homes, but at least five such facilities are on Lake Chapala.

"You can barely afford to live in the United States anymore," said Harry Kislevitz, 78, of New York City. A stroke victim, he moved to a convalescent home on the lake’s shore two years ago and credits the staff with helping him recover his speech and ability to walk.  "Here you see the birds, you smell the air, and it’s delicious," Kislevitz said. "You feel like living."

Many expatriates are Americans or Europeans who retired here years ago and are now becoming more frail. Others are not quite ready for a nursing home but are exploring options such as in-home health care services, which can provide Mexican nurses at a fraction of U.S. prices.

Retirement homes are relatively new in Mexico, where the aging seniors usually live with family. There is little government regulation. Some places have suddenly gone bankrupt, forcing American residents to move. Some Mexican homes have rough edges, such as peeling paint or frayed sofas, that would turn off many Americans.

"I don’t think they’re for everyone," said Thomas Kessler, whose mother suffers from manic depression and lives at a home in Ajijic. "But basically, they’ve kept our family finances from falling off a cliff."

Residents such as Richard Slater say they are happy in Mexico. Slater came to Lake Chapala four years ago and now lives in his own cottage at the Casa de Ancianos, surrounded by purple bougainvillea and pomegranate trees.

He has plenty of room for his two dogs and has a little patio that he shares with three other American residents. He gets 24-hour nursing care and three meals a day, cooked in a homey kitchen and served in a sun-washed dining room. His cottage has a living room, bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom and a walk-in closet.

For this Slater pays $550 a month, less than one-tenth of the going rate back home in Las Vegas. For another $140 a year, he gets full medical coverage from the Mexican government, including all his medicine and insulin for diabetes.

"This would all cost me a fortune in the United States," said Slater, a 65-year-old retired headwaiter.

On a recent afternoon, lunch at the Casa de Ancianos consisted of vegetable soup, beet salad, Spanish rice, baked dogfish stuffed with peppers, garlic bread and a choice of four cakes and two Jell-O salads. Slater’s neighbor doesn’t like Mexican food, so a nursing home employee cooks whatever she wants on a stove beside her bed.

Like many retirees, Slater has satellite television, so he doesn’t miss any American news or programs. When he wants to see a movie or go shopping downtown, the taxi ride is only $2 or $3. Guadalajara, a culturally rich city of four million people, is just 30 miles away.

For medical care, Slater relies on the Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS, which runs clinics and hospitals nationwide and allows foreigners to enroll in its program even if they never worked in Mexico or paid taxes to support the system. He recently had gallbladder surgery in an IMSS hospital in Guadalajara, and he paid nothing.

Many of the nursing home employees speak English, and so does Slater’s doctor.

The Casa de Ancianos began accepting foreigners in 2000 as part of an effort to raise extra money, director Marlene Dunham said. It built the cottages especially for the Americans and uses the income received from them to subsidize the costs of the 20 Mexican residents at the home.

The program was so successful that the nursing home has plans for 12 more cottages, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a gazebo with picnic area. The nursing home now advertises on the Internet and through pamphlets distributed in town. Some U.S. companies have also begun investing in assisted living facilities in Mexico, said Larry Minnix, president of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, which represents 5,800 nursing homes and related services.

However, Minnix cautioned that lax government regulation poses dangers at smaller homes.

"It’s the same danger you have of going across the border looking for cheap medications," Minnix said. "If you don’t know what you’re getting, and you’re not getting it from people you trust, then you’ve got an accident waiting to happen."

Since many nursing homes are run out of private homes, regulation by state health departments is often spotty. Managers such as Beverly Ward of Casa Nostra and Maura Funes of El Paraiso, both in Ajijic, said that Mexican officials inspect them only once a year, unlike U.S. inspectors, who may visit a home several times a year.

The U.S. Embassy said it had no record of complaints against Mexican nursing homes, but some residents in the Lake Chapala area reported bad experiences at now-defunct homes.

The first home that Jean Douglas lived in after she moved from Oregon was staffed by "gossips and thieves," she said. It went out of business.  Irene Chiara of Los Angeles also lived in a home that was shut down by Jalisco state authorities.

"It was filthy, and the food was very bad. It was all made in the microwave," she said.

Some Mexican managers also underestimate the costs and difficulty of running a retirement home. Two hotels turned into assisted living facilities, The Spa in San Miguel de Allende and The Melville in the Pacific Coast city of Mazatlán, recently abandoned the business, their managers said.

"It was very expensive to run it," said Luis Terán, manager of The Melville.  Some managers said they were especially selective when admitting foreign residents, to make sure they’ll be able to pay. Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs and most U.S. insurance companies will not cover care or medicine as long as patients are outside the USA.

Some American residents said they had doubts about the quality of Mexican medical facilities and would go back to the USA if they became seriously ill. Jim May, 74, a resident of the Casa de Ancianos, said he recently decided to move to Texas to be closer to Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The language barrier can be daunting, and Mexican food can be very different, some residents said.

Some residents said they miss home and find it hard to make friends with Mexican residents. "It’s a very nice place, but it’s lonesome," said Polly Coull, 99, of Seminole, Fla., a resident at Alicia’s Convalescent Nursing Home in Ajijic.

Mexican entrepreneurs are doing their best to prepare for a tide of Americans.  In the Baja Peninsula town of Ensenada, the Residencia Lourdes opened in 2003, offering care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia. The towns around Lake Chapala have at least five small retirement homes. Most of them opened in the last five years and house from one to 25 foreigners.  The largest, Alicia’s Convalescent Nursing Home, consists of four renovated homes, one of them specializing in stroke victims and another for Alzheimer’s patients. Prices range from $1,000 to $1,500 a month and include everything except medicine and adult diapers. The rooms are outfitted in Mexican style, with murals, hand-carved beds, arched ceilings lined with brick and individual patios.

In other American enclaves, in-home healthcare services have sprung up to serve the retirees. In Rosarito, just south of the U.S. border, INCARE provides nursing aides to retirees starting at $8.33 an hour, less than half the cost of the same service in nearby San Diego.

Developers of independent living facilities for seniors are also beginning to look to Mexico. A Spanish-U.S. venture is building Sensara Vallarta, a 250-unit condominium complex aimed at Americans age 50 and older in the Pacific Coast resort of Puerto Vallarta. And in the northern city of Monterrey, El Legado is marketing itself as a "home resort" for seniors.

Academics and government officials are beginning to take notice. In March, the University of Texas at Austin held a forum for developers, hospital officials, insurance companies and policymakers to discuss health care for retirees in Mexico.

"With the right facilities in place, Mexico could give (American retirees) a better quality of life at a better price than they could find in the United States," says Flavio Olivieri, a member of Tijuana’s Economic Development Council, which is seeking funding from Mexico’s federal government to build more retirement homes, including senior apartments. "We think this could be a very good business as these baby boomers reach retirement age," he says.

10x Marketing

The city of Nottingham, in the East Midlands of England, rests upon the rivers Trent and Leen. The city proper has approximately 300,000 residents, while the city and its surrounding suburbs and towns holds closer to 700,000 people.

The history of settlement in the area dates from well before the Romans, and there are numerous signs of Roman-era settlement as well. It was once called “Tigguo Cobauc”, meaning “place of cavy dwellings”, as inhabitants of the area over history have almost always made use of the abundant local caves in the soft sandstone bluffs around and under the city. Most of the caves are man-made, rather than naturally carved; they have been used as dwellings, stables, storage chambers, and workplaces. Because of their constant cool temperatures they were used by brewers and butchers, and because they could not be set afire, they became popular as the workshops of smiths, bakers and chandlers.

The earliest continuous habitation began with a settlement of Anglo-Saxon invaders, who settled the hills and river banks sometime after 600 AD, occupying the area now known as the Lace Market. Their leader was named Snot, and the town became “Snotingaham”, the “home of Snot’s people”. This gradually became the modern name “Nottingham”. In the 9th century, the now-thriving town was captured by the Danes, and became one of their law-bound boroughs.

In the 11th century, William the Conqueror established the first Nottingham Castle on a hill opposite the Anglo-Saxon town, with a Norman French settlement growing up around its walls. Gradually the two groups merged into a larger city, and in 1449, Nottingham became a “county corporate”, which allowed it self governance. Nottinghamshire became famous as a centre of wool and cloth trade, and its annual Goose Fair was attended by traders from all over the country.

In the middle ages, the many legends of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham sprung up, set in the local Sherwood Forest to the north of the city. Many historians have created conflicting suppositions about the true persons and facts beneath the elaborate layers of legend; it’s likely the truth will never be known. The Robin Hood stories remain a popular draw for tourists and historians alike however, and the names and symbols from the legend remain important parts of local colour.

There are three different pubs in Nottingham which claim to be the oldest pub in England: Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, The Salutation, and The Bell, each of which appears to have some legitimate claim to the title.

The wooden Nottingham Castle built by the Normans was eventually replaced with a stone one, and expanded by many of its later royal inhabitants, until its defences were rendered obsolete by the invention of cannon. The ancient stone castle was razed after the execution of Charles I in 1649, then rebuilt as a “Castle Mansion” after the Restoration.

Nottingham had been known for trade in cloth and lace-making for centuries, but it became a true centre of industry as the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century launched Nottingham into the era of giant factories, warehouses, transportation and machine industries. However, the changes were not as kind to the workers as they were to the owners, and Nottingham Castle was burned again in 1831 by rioting slum dwellers, and would not be restored until 1878, when it became the Nottingham Castle Museum, England’s first public museum.

Other famous trades which got their start in Nottingham during the 19th century include Boots the Chemist, Raleigh Cycles, and Player and Sons cigarettes.

The University of Nottingham opened its doors (as the “University College”) in 1877, joined almost a hundred years later by Nottingham Trent University. The well-regarded Nottingham School of Fashion was founded by famous local menswear designer Paul Smith.

In 1889, Nottingham became a county borough, which was expanded a couple of times over the following decades by the inclusion of growing nearby towns. The city is an interesting mix of architectural styles, containing everything from medieval walls and gatehouses to Victorian and Georgian styles, created by some of England’s most noted architects. Local landmarks include the Old Market Square, the Council House, and Wollaton Hall, which once housed the city’s natural history museum.

In recent years, historical preservation and modern development have gone hand in hand. The ancient stone caves beneath the city were preserved when local shopping development began, and are now open to the public as a museum-like exhibit beneath the Broadmarsh Shopping Mall. The 19th century buildings of the Lace Market are side by side with the artistic quarter of Hockley Village. In the evenings, fine dining and nightclubs entertain the same visitors who enjoy the Brewhouse Yard Museum and the Robin Hood tours by day. Music, arts and culture are well-supported within the city of Nottingham.

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

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/history-of-nottingham-81112.html

Leeds is a large and successful city, which is centrally located in the North of England. The City is renowned as the commercial and art gallery capital of the North and has long been known for its sizeable manufacturing industry, which is still thriving.

With some wonderful modern architecture and wonderful shops, Leeds has truly transformed itself recently. however, there’s still many architecture that evoke the city’s Victorian splendour, too. One of the most well-known Victorian architecture is Leeds corn exchange, which was designed by the architect Cuthbert Broderick.

Leeds also boasts the amazing Kirk stall Abbey, which is situated in the western outskirts of the city. This pretty Abbey is widely regarded as one of the most complete examples of a medieval Cistercian abbey in Great Britain. It boasts historical architecture, as well as pretty gardens that are full of wildlife & greenery.

Kirk stall Abbey was started in 1152 and took more than 75 years to build. The historical ruins have been painted by artists such as turner & the abbey is now a Grade 1 listed building. In the summer, visitors flock to watch open-air concerts & plays in the nice grounds of the Abbey.

Often known as the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’, Leeds is an excellent location for shoppers! It boasts over 1,000 stores, which include Harvey Nicholls, Louis Vinton and more, scattered around its sophisticated high streets, for more details visit to www.art-of-astrology.com state-of-the-art shopping centers, Victorian arcades, considerable buildings & Edwardian markets.

If you would prefer to spend your time in Leeds doing more cultured activities, you will be pleased to understand that the city has 9 fantastic museums and galleries. These include the royal armories museum & the amazing Leeds city art gallery, so you are sure to find something to entertain you.

If fast-paced city life gets too much, you will be pleased to understand that Leeds has some stunning green spaces & stunning parks, for more details visit to www.101-save-money.com including the award winning nelson Mandela gardens. These stunning gardens were built at a cost of £12 million to celebrate the year 2000 & were jointly funded by Leeds council & the Millennium Commission. The gardens won a medal at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show.

Finally, any tourist passing by Leeds should make sure that they enjoy its museums. With wonderful restaurants, elite bars and amazing nightclubs, you’ll have an unforgettable evening there. It goes without saying that Leeds boasts a big gay community, too. You’ll find sometimes exciting gay venues sprinkled around the Calls area, including the notorious new penny.

When the nightclubs close, why not head to one of the city’s plush hotels for an excitingsleep? There are some exciting hotels in the city, including the Radisson sas hotel, so you will be spoilt for choice. The best thing is, if you decide a hotel with a free breakfast – you will be able to eat away your hangover, too.

Whether you are traveling by car or public transport, you will locate getting to Leeds is easy. it’s well served by Leeds Railway Station, also known as Leeds City, as well as having regular bus & coach services.

Even though this is the end of our sightseer guide to Leeds, we have not managed to cram in all of the wonderful charm that this city has to offer. To find out many more info about Leeds and the areas nearby, simply get in touch with your localized sightseer information centre.

pinks.dec2008
http://www.articlesbase.com/cricket-articles/magnificent-and-amusing-activities-in-leeds-676605.html

Nissan Motors earlier announced the signing of a Collaboration Protocol between the Autonomous Government of Castilla y León in Spain, the Avila City Council and Nissan Motor Iberica to develop an infrastructure network in the territory. The said network is aimed at improving competitiveness of the automaker’s light commercial vehicle production.

According to the Protocol, the Autonomous Government of Castilla y León will develop the local logistics infrastructure and services that will facilitate Avila’s role as a major industrial player in the region. The Avila City Council will also provide a minimum of 11 hectares of land to accommodate the infrastructures. The automaker’s part is to provide the necessary technical support. As stated, Nissan will benefit from these services and infrastructure when completed.

The infrastructure network include a parking and storage lot for a minimum of 1,650 trucks and containers; a supplier park with plants for a minimum of 8,500 square meters; a dedicated customs zone to maximize the speed of logistic procedures from Avila to the global market; and a railway-road hub for the interchange of trucks and train transportation of parts and vehicles.

The logistics and service hub will improve Avila plant’s ability to receive and integrate parts from leading cost competitive countries as well as to send KD parts to other Nissan plants. “With the collaboration of Nissan and the local authorities we are creating the conditions to enhance the cost structure of our plant, and improve the efficiency of the whole supplier-plant value chain”, said José Vicente De Los Mozos, the Vice President of the Nissan Spanish Industrial Operations.

The automaker will invest 1.6 million euros to build a 1,500 meter track as a dedicated LCV proving ground within the Avila plant. The proving ground will be used by the automaker in conducting painstaking product test-drives to be conducted onsite to improve the quality of its products at the same time support the development of forthcoming Nissan vehicles. Auto parts like Nissan ball joints, axle assembly and body kits will also be tested in the proving ground.

As announced in the Nissan Green Program 2010, the company is undertaking a wide range of environmental initiatives in CO2 reduction and promotes energy conservation through wider use of renewable energy resources. As such, the Avila plant will be equipped with the largest solar panel structure in Spain for industrial use. The total surface of the solar panels will sum to 1,335 square meters and will generate 608,000 Kwh annually. This will trim down 267 tons of CO2 emissions each year.

“We want the Avila plant to be the best Nissan light duty truck production site in the world. The improvements we are announcing today represent an investment on the future of Nissan’s LCV business, and the commitment of the Avila plant for an ever improving competitiveness,” noted De Los Mozos.

KatieJones
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/nissan-develops-infrastructure-network-in-spain-112920.html

Hurray, another end of the year list. This one though (from Bank Info Security) is not reviewing the top movies, songs, celebrities but, the miserable failures in data security of 2008. With nine more days until the end of 2008, this post could be pre-mature. Data breach threats show no regard for end of the year holiday parties and frivolities.

The data breach incidents of 2008 include the old stand-bys of lost tapes and data due to mistake and theft but also reveals an increased use of break in technologies to steal information from data bases. Numerous “hacking” incidences and infected computer systems not only resulted in millions of dollars in cost to businesses but exposed large numbers of consumers to fraud. Stolen data has to go some where and can be held in reserve for use at a later time, possibly changing hands often before reaching a perpetrator. Data is a commodity. After all, identity theft is a business – suppliers, middle men and end users are the norm, just like in any business.

At least one of these breaches began in 2007 and continued into 2008 due to law enforcement action. Last year’s breaches while not lacking of hacking incidents, were focused more on missing data. For comparison purposes, below the top 10 list find links to stories looking back on 2007 and a link to a comprehensive multi-year listing. APRPEH is currently taking predictions of data loss stories for the end of 2009.

For accuracy purposes, it is important to recognize the difference between lost back up tapes or disks and stolen computers, hard drives or data devices and must be further differentiated from data lost due to hacking, viruses, malware – any active invasion of data storage systems for the purpose of stealing information. It is this last category with its obviously pernicious intent to steal data (vis a vis hardware) which represents a greater threat equation for consumers. The ‘how was it stolen’ question makes a huge difference in predicting whether or not consumers are likely or unlikely to become victims of identity theft.

Top 10 Security Breaches of 2008 – Bank Info Security
Ghost of Christmas Past (TJX) Still Casts Specter on Present and Future
Linda McGlasson, Managing Editor
December 22, 2008

From Hannaford to Countrywide to the Bank of New York Mellon, 2008 has been a year of high-profile security breaches in or impacting the financial services industry. Here’s our list of the top 10 – and lessons that should be learned, so we aren’t back revisiting these issues in ‘09.

1. TJX Case Winds Up, Arrests Made

Earlier this year, The TJX Companies (parent of retailer TJ Maxx) settled in federal court and paid out millions to its federal regulator, the Federal Trade Commission, banking institutions, credit card companies and consumers to bring to a close the court cases that had threatened to overwhelm the company.

The August arrest of 11 alleged hackers accused of stealing more than 40 million credit and debit cards brings law enforcement closer to closing what is still the largest hack ever. The U.S. Department of Justice brought charges against 11 alleged hackers from around the globe. Some of the hacking gang were nabbed and brought to the U.S. to face trial alongside three U.S.-based defendants. Two of the defendants, Christopher Scott and Damon Patrick Toey, have already pled guilty in the case. Others including the ringleader, Alberto Gonzalez, await trial.

Lesson Learned: The wide-range of the perpetrators brings to light something that those in the cyber intelligence realm have known for some time: Criminal hackers are part of a very mature and multi-billion dollar industry that reaches around the world. No organization is immune to the threat.

2. Bank of New York Mellon

An unencrypted backup tape with 4.5 million customers of the Bank of New York Mellon went missing on Feb. 27, after it was sent to a storage facility. The missing tape contains social security numbers and bank account information on 4.5 million customers – including several hundred thousand depositors and investors of People’s United Bank of Connecticut, which had given Bank of New York Mellon the information so it could offer those consumers an investment opportunity.

Lesson Learned: For Bank of New York Mellon, know that when data is released to a third-party that their security is as good or better than yours. Encryption isn’t just something that is good for the data held at an institution; it’s also something to consider for data that leaves the institution.

3. Hannaford Data Breach

In March, the Maine-based Hannaford Brothers grocery store chain announced that 4.2 million customer card transactions had been compromised by the hackers. More than 1800 credit card numbers were immediately used for fraudulent transactions.

The affected banks and credit unions were forced to reissue the credit and debit cards. Within two days of the breach announcement, two class action suits had been filed on behalf of customers against the retailer. The retailer claims its systems were PCI-compliant and had passed a PCI assessment shortly before the hack was discovered.

Lesson Learned: The case is still open, and forensic reports by security investigators brought in by Hannaford have not been made public. The PCI Security Council has pledged that if the PCI requirements are found to be wanting in light of the report, they will make changes to tighten the requirements. Cases such as Hannaford may be the impetus behind legislation to require prompt notification of a data security breach.

4. Countrywide Insider Theft

In August, a former Countrywide Financial Corp. senior financial analyst, Rene Rebollo, was arrested and charged by the FBI for stealing and selling sensitive personal information of an estimated 2 million mortgage loan applicants. How he did it over a two-year period was to download about 20,000 customer profiles each week onto flash drives, working on Sunday nights, when no one else was in the office. Rebollo then took the excel spreadsheets to business center stores to email to buyers.

Countrywide, now owned by Bank of America, was already facing money and reputation issues because of the subprime loan meltdown before it faced the insider threat of Rebollo.

Lesson Learned: While Countrywide and Bank of America now know firsthand what a rogue insider can do, other institutions need to do a better job of monitoring their employees and creating asset controls. As the economy continues to produce layoffs, this threat may become even more so, as fearful employees look to cash in on their trusted status and take data just in case they face unemployment.

5. GE Money Backup Tape Goes AWOL

Early in January, Iron Mountain said it could not find a backup tape that belonged to GE Money, containing information on J.C. Penney customers and 100 other retailers.

The tape was stored in an Iron Mountain vault, says an Iron Mountain statement issued about the loss, and had been requested by GE Money in October 2007. The tape contained the personal information of about 650,000 J.C. Penney customers and the other 100 retailers. GE Money processes credit cards for those retailers. As a records and archive company that specializes in records management, Iron Mountain was at a loss to explain the tape’s whereabouts.

Iron Mountain said it was an unfortunate case of a misplaced tape, but asserts that there was no evidence that the information was obtained and used by unauthorized persons. The missing tape also included about 150,000 social security numbers.

Lesson Learned: While GE Money paid for credit monitoring for the 650,000 credit card holders, Iron Mountain may have learned to better monitor where media is located. For the rest of companies that hold information of a personally identifiable nature, there is another reason to keep it safe from prying eyes. The cost of an average data breach can hit a company’s bottom line. According to a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, an independent information security and privacy research group, data breaches are costing businesses an average of $197 per customer record, up from $182 in 2006.

6. RSA Report: Half-Million Banking ID’s Stolen

In November, security vendor RSA said it found a single Trojan that had taken more than 500,000 online banking accounts credentials, credit cards and other resources. The company’s Fraud Action Research Team added that the hacking gang behind the Trojan may have been operating for as long as three years. The compromised data came from hundreds of financial institutions around the world.

Lesson Learned: The Trojan Sinowal is so tricky that the average institution or customer would not even know that they are infected with it. Taking a professional, defense-in-depth approach to protecting a network and customers is the best remedy.

7. Compass Bank Hard Drive Stolen, 1 Million Accounts Taken

At the sentencing of a former bank programmer at Compass Bank in Birmingham, AL. in March, it was revealed that the accused had stolen a hard drive with 1 million customer records and used it to commit debit-card fraud. James Kevin Real is now serving a 42-month sentence and was ordered to pay back the more than $32,000 that he and an accomplice withdrew from Compass Bank customer accounts. The bank claimed that the customer records contained limited information, but Real was able to create 250 counterfeit debit cards. He used 45 of them to access and withdraw cash before being arrested.

At the time of Real’s sentencing, Alabama was one of 11 states that didn’t require companies to automatically notify customers of data breaches.

Lesson Learned: Compass Bank dodged a bullet in terms of cost on this breach. It would have had to notify all 1 million customers of the compromise of their data had the hard drive theft been in a state that requires notification. Other than the 250 customers that Real took money from, no other customers were notified of the data loss. That means that 999,750 of the other 1 million customers weren’t notified of the potential risk.

8. Ski Resort Okemo Suffers Hannaford-Like Data Breach

In an attack similar to what hit Hannaford Brothers in March, the Okemo Ski Resort in Vermont said in April it had been hit by hackers that installed malicious software to capture credit card data as it was being processed at the resort. Law enforcement officials at the time said they were investigating as many as 50 other similar incidents in the Northeast.

Lesson Learned: PCI compliance is like a driver’s license — it may mean that a retailer has passed the test for compliance, but doesn’t necessarily mean it is in compliance.

9. Retailer Montgomery Ward

Six months after a breach happened at the parent company of the Montgomery Ward website, the company Direct Marketing Services finally began notifying customers that their credit card information was stolen in the hack. At least 51,000 records were stolen out of a database in December, 2007.

Direct Marketing said it had promptly contacted its payment processor and Visa and MasterCard, and it also notified the U.S. Secret Service.

Lesson Learned: Direct Marketing Services was forced into contacting the customers after the company CardCops, an investigative firm that tracks credit card thefts for the financial services industry, found more than 200,000 payment cards being offered for sale on an Internet chat room often visited by card thieves. Better to take the public relations role and confess the breach than possibly face data breach notification lawsuits by consumers and state attorney generals.

10. More Than $5 Million Taken By ATM Capers

The Automatic Teller Machine capers are hitting everywhere. In June, two men were charged with making hundreds of withdrawals from New York City ATMs, grabbing $750,000 in the process, using stolen information from a previous computer intrusion into a Citibank server that processes ATM withdrawals. One of the same accused also allegedly took $5 million in withdrawals from iWire prepaid MasterCard accounts.

Lesson Learned: While Citibank denied the indictment’s charge that their server had been breached and blames a third-party transaction processor for the compromise, it still meant it had to notify and reissue new debit cards to those customers that the bank believed were exposed to increased risk.

The Top 10 Data Breaches of 2007 – CSO Online

APRPEH
http://www.articlesbase.com/corporate-articles/looking-back-2008-data-breaches-693991.html

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

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