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The big debate: baths versus showers

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A big debate has long raged between homeowners across the country about the relative merits of having a bath or a shower in your home. Here, we consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of both baths and showers so that you can make the most informed choice for your own household’s individual needs.

Baths offer the obvious advantage over showers in that they offer the luxury of being able to lie and sit down while you wash. Take a bath, and you have the option of soothing yourself amidst the bubbles, taking a long, hot soak and having the opportunity to temporarily forget about your stresses and strains. This makes a bath very popular with a wide range of people, which draws attention to a further key advantage of having a bath in your home: when the time comes to sell your home, the presence of a bath could even increase the value of your property.

Then, there are the advantages to consider of having a shower in your home. Showers offer you a quicker way of washing yourself, which has made them increasingly popular over the years given our increasingly time pressed lifestyles. After all, when you are struggling to get yourself up out of bed on a morning and have limited time to get cleaned and dressed, you are likely to appreciate being able to switch on a power shower that will allow you to save as much time as possible.

Keep in mind, when you are choosing between having a shower or bath in your home, that you do not necessarily need to have only one or the other. There is nothing to prevent you having a small bath beneath a power shower, allowing you to realise the benefits of having both options. Other options for those who ultimately prefer a shower include a wet room or walk-in shower unit.

Your choice will also depend on your own household’s individual needs, together with what seems most appropriate for the type of property in which you live. If you live in a larger house with two or three bathrooms, for example, you are generally advised to keep at least one bath, as it will be required by any small children who may live in the house either now or in the future. Also keep in mind that showers often use less water than baths, which can make them a strong choice if water shortages affect your part of the UK.

If you have ever wondered why some budget hotels have only showers and not baths, consider the amount charged by their business gas supplier to heat the water for hundreds of baths. Showers can be a more economical choice if they are only used for a few minutes. You can also consider your gas and electricity bills when choosing between a shower and bath in the home.

Bella Winterfold frequently writes on the topic of gas and electricity with extensive knowledge in how to find a reliable business gas supplier.

Let’s Talk About Magento Hosting

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There are many hosting companies available but only a few that specialise in Magento hosting as it requires a lot more resources than most applications.
Choosing the correct hosting package is not easy and I would suggest looking for a company that not only specialise in hosting Magento but one that also knows how to set up Magento properly for you.
You only need to have a look in the Magento forums to see the problems people encounter trying to install Magento, the bulk of these problems are server related and can be avoided by finding the right hosting company.

I believe that Magento is the best ecommerce solution available today and has some amazing features in the community edition that puts it head and shoulders above the competition. I would never hesitate to recommend Magento but would make sure people found the correct hosting company to prevent problems.

Magento was founded in 2001, providing an ecommerce solution in March 2001, since then they have concentrated on their open source edition and made some incredible improvements year after year.
Over the past few years they have developed their enterprise and proffesional editions, both of which are paid solutions and have the same heavey demands on a server.

The basic requirements to host Magento are as follows:-
Supported Operating Systems:
?Linux x86, x86-64
Supported Web Servers:
?Apache 1.3.x
?Apache 2.0.x
?Apache 2.2.x
PHP Compatibility:
?5.2.13+
?Required extensions:
?PDO_MySQL
?simplexml
?mcrypt
?hash
?GD
?DOM
?iconv
?curl
?SOAP (if Webservices API is to be used)
?Safe_mode off
?Memory_limit no less than 256Mb (preferably 512)
MySQL:
?4.1.20 or newer
?InnoDB storage engine
SSL:
?If HTTPS is used to work in the admin, SSL certificate should be valid. Self-signed SSL certificates are not supported
Server – hosting – setup:
?Ability to run scheduled jobs (crontab) with PHP 5
?Ability to override options in .htaccess files.

These are the minimum requirements to run Magento and many people successfully instal magento but then run into problems a little later as traffic starts to build up on their sites.
So like so many things in life, it is important to get it right from the start, your hosting company is the foundations of your ecommerce store and should be the best you can find. Cutting corners at the start to save a few pounds can cost you dearly in the long run.
I have worked with many companies over the years that have implemented magento only to find the hosting company they originally chose was not Magento freindly. Then the difficult task of swithcing hosts and reinstalling Magento comes in, plus you will then need to reinstall all your stock, order data, customer data and so on. This usually results in your site being off line for a while, which in itself can be quite costly.

So choose a Magento freindly host from the start, one that will install it for you as well is a great thing to look for as it means they are aware of the requirements and of course this will save you quite a bit of work.

magento hosting

What driving license do you need for a driver job?

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The driving licence that you require for driver jobs will differ depending on the exact role for which you are applying. If you are a taxi driver, for example, you will need to have held a full driving licence for at least twelve months (or for three years if you are working in London). If you wish to work as a bus or a coach driver, meanwhile, you will need a PCV license in addition to a full EU driving licence.

Alternatively, you may be interested in working as a delivery van driver. For this role, a standard driving licence will be sufficient to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes if you gained your car driving licence before 1 January 1997. If you gained your car licence after 1 January 1997, you can drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, but will require a separate category C1 licence to drive vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes. You must be at least 18 to gain this licence, and are required to pass medical, theory and practical tests.

Alternatively, you may want to become a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver, which involves driving commercial vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. For this role, you will need a valid LGV licence. To get this, you need to be competent in English and Maths so that you can take the LGV theory test. You will also need to be 18 or over to hold such a licence, in addition to having good eyesight and a good driving record. You will also need to pass a medical as part of the LGV test.

There are several ways to get a LGV licence. If you are already employed by transport operator, for instance as a clerk, then you may receive training from them. If you do not work for a transport operator, you could pay for training through a driver training school before looking for work. The LGV licence is divided into two categories. These include the aforementioned category C1, as well as category C, which allows you to drive rigid vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. This would be followed by a further test that would allow you to drive vehicles with trailers.

If you wish to work as a community transport driver, meanwhile, you will only require a full driving licence as long as you are only driving smaller minibuses or cars. You will need a Category D licence, however, if you intend to drive larger passenger carrying vehicles with more than nine seats.

Bob Blazel writes for a range of job related topics, including skills needed for driver jobs.

What qualifications do you need for a construction job?

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Strictly speaking, formal qualifications are not required to gain employment in the UK construction industry. Nonetheless, they remain highly advantageous for applicants to construction jobs.

An extensive set of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) exist in the UK which provide an education on the theories involved in many vocations and trades. They are known as Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Scotland. You can complete an S/NVQ alongside an Apprenticeship and they contain 5 levels. Level 1 is equivalent to a site operative or labourer, Level 2 to a craftsperson, Level 3 to an advanced craftsperson, Level 4 to a manager or professional, and Level 5 to a senior manager.

It is becoming increasingly important to be able to prove that you meet a certain level of certification for a construction job, and indeed it has become a prerequisite on many construction sites. There is also now a very strong emphasis on construction industry occupational, health and safety training. This has led to the development of various certification schemes that provide construction site workers with an official photo ID card which provides proof of their qualification level.

You may find it advantageous to your prospects of finding a construction job to belong to a certification scheme, even though it is not currently required by law. Various different certification schemes exist for different roles.

If you are a carpenter or joiner, a bricklayer, a plasterer, a steel fixer or ceiling fixer, you will need to apply for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card, which is known as the CSR in Northern Ireland. The CSCS Card comes in a range of colours that indicate your qualification level. Trainees that are working towards a certified status have red cards, while operatives that have basic skills and that have achieved level 1 S/NVQs, or an equivalent qualification overseas, have green cards. Blue cards, meanwhile, are reserved for experienced workers that have a number of years of on-site experience but who do not have formal qualifications. Finally, skilled workers that have achieved their level 3 S/NVQs or an equivalent qualification abroad have gold cards.

As previously mentioned, you can get a job in construction via an apprenticeship, while in more specific areas there are college courses that may prove advantageous for construction jobs ranging from construction plant mechanic to painter and decorator. Keep in mind that the range of apprenticeships that are available in your area will differ depending on the nature of the local job market.

Bob Blazel writes for a range of job related topics, including skills needed for construction jobs.

The Top Five Reason to Move to Kent in 2011

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Named the Garden of England, Kent is an ideal location for both families and professionals. If you are considering a move in 2011, there are a great variety of new houses for sale. With its desirable location and rich heritage, it’s easy to fall in love with Kent. What’s more, its great links to London make it ideal for commuters. If you’re considering a move to somewhere new, here are the top five reasons to choose Kent:

London Commuter Belt: This road network connects Lympne, Richborough, and Dover with London, which gives Kent a great link to the capital. If you work in London, or would like to in the future, you can easily commute to and from work.

Rich Heritage: Kent has been in the crossfire of many well-known conflicts, including The Battle of Britain in World War II where East Kent earned the moniker Hell Fire Corner. We have heavily relied on Kent’s ports throughout the past 800 years during times of war and peace. On a clear day, France can be viewed from both Dover and Folkestone.

Hop Gardens/Orchards: Henry VIII always enjoyed a bowl of Kent cherries and he’s not the only one. For hundreds upon hundreds of years, Kent has earned a reputation for the best in gardening and agriculture. While its reputation for agriculture has diminished a little recently, it’s still rightfully crowned the Garden of England. Whether you simply go for a trip or choose to buy a home in Kent, you’ll be amazed by its elegance and beauty. Some of the more famous gardens in Kent include Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst and Winston Churchill’s home and garden, Chartwell.

Education: Kent has three universities—University of Kent, University of Greenwich, a London University with Kent campuses, and the Canterbury Christ Church University, In addition, nearly a quarter of the UK’s grammar schools are to be found in Kent. Many families are attracted to the area so their children can attend the good schools around the area.

Popular County: The BBC determined that Kent offers a better quality of life than Sussex, another plush residence. In fact, Kent is so popular that it was named one of the best places to live in England by Country Life Magazine. BBC figures highlighted that Sevenoaks in Kent had an average price of £377,663 and Thanet contained the cheapest properties averaging £169,490.

Arthur Sperks is obsessed with homes, architecture, design and the property market; particularly new homes for sale. He writes frequently on these subjects and enjoys guest posting on numerous blogs throughout the Internet.