London Business Hotels

With London's global position as one of the most significant cities in the world in terms of business and industry, it's very important that London has a good level of quality accommodations for the many corporate visitors who travel to the capital on business trips through the year. Particularly with the City of London still maintaining its position as the center of World finance, there are an abundance of overseas and domestic visitors requiring the comfort and facilities of first class hotels in the city.

Since the days of the 70s when sometimes the Park Lane Hilton was seen as the place to stay when on a business trip to London, all the major international hotels have build hotels aimed at the business traveler in the city, in fact most hotel chains have numerous properties through the capital (Hilton Hotels now number 34 in total including the airports and the London outskirts!). Holiday Inn, Accor Hotels, Marriott Hotels and Thistle Hotels but to name a few, all have business hotels through London with a high level of comfort and a large range of facilities aimed mainly at the corporate traveler. New players to the London market also boast very good business hotels - H10 for example and the Park Plaza Hotel chain have gone out of their way to provide rooms suited for business people - the Park Plaza Westminster, for example, is an all suite hotel featuring rooms with a small lounge and kitchenette in addition to a generous sized bedroom and fabulous location close to Westminster Bridge. Privately owned up market hotels are also designed with corporate in mind - the Cadogan Hotel near Harrods department store and the Ritz Hotel in London's Piccadilly street both provides not just good facilities and first class quality but also a discerning service for the more upmarket level of clients associated with such grand business hotels.

Rooms in all these types of hotels have the typical facilities you would expect in a room like this, as well as the rooms and suites. power showers (or 'rain' showers). Internet connectivity generally via Wifi is also a must now with more and more hotels finding themselves forced through competition (and negative comments from guests) to providing this service free of charge. The business hotels provide the guests with excellent dining facilities - generally a full English breakfast and a choice of restaurants within the hotel for dinner at surprisingly reasonable prices. After a busy days doing business in the city, sometimes a good rewarding drink is required and the hotels accommodate well with their welcoming cocktail bars which, particularly during the happy hour period from 5 - 7pm, can be the place to be if you're in the right hotel!

Property Asset Management

Property asset management is part of asset management and includes property selection, the implementation of policies and performance standards for the said property, and the proper monitoring of the property's performance to meet the owner's objectives. In order to properly manage one's property assets, several factors are considered prior to acquiring properties.

Since acquiring property requires investing money and finances, asset managers work closely with their clients in planning as to which properties must be acquired. Careful planning that includes brainstorming, comparing the characteristics and prices of the items to be acquired, and checking on their importance to the client in meeting his / her or the company's objectives are done carefully. These steps are taken to ensure that the company is making the most out of their investments, acquiring properties which are not only useful and functional but are also reasonably priced. After proper planning, property procurement coming next. The process of procurement includes ordering the items needed and receiving, checking and making sure that the items ordered are in good working condition.

Property asset management also takes into account the operating costs of the properties that a company has. Operating costs include the daily costs which companies have to shell out for which enable machines and technology to run. Ensuring that machines and technology are in good working condition would maximize productivity and increase the company's earnings.

Property asset management also employs proper financial management. This involves accurate taxes, close depreciation estimates, and other costs. Because of depreciation or in the event of bankruptcy, companies may dispose of properties as well. Once machines and technology are disposed, these are required by law to be removed from the company's asset statements that asset management takes care of.

Property asset management is slowly becoming an efficient tool which enables companies to maximize production as it manages the properties and may be customized to fit the needs and the goals of the companies which they render service to.

Realty Vs Real Estate Vs Real Property

Realty and personal property terms have often been confused as to what they exactly mean. Here we will clear that right up for you. We will look at the terms personal property, realty, land, real estate, and lastly real property.

Let's begin with personal property. Personal property also known as chattel is everything that is not real property. Example couches, TVs things of this nature. Emblements pronounced (M-blee-ments) are things like crops, apples, oranges, and berries. Emblements are also personal property. So when you go to sell your house, flip, or wholesale deal, you sell or transfer ownership by a bill of sale with personal property.

Realty.





Realty is the broad definition for land, real estate, and real property.

Land





Land is everything mother nature gave to us like whats below the ground, above the ground and the airspace. Also called subsurface (underground), surface (the dirt) and airspace. So when you buy land that's what you get, keep in mind our government owns a lot of our air space.

Real Estate





Real estate is defined as land plus its man made improvements added to it. You know things like fences, houses, and driveways. So when you buy real estate this is what you can expect to be getting.

Real property





Real property is land, real estate, and what's call the bundle of rights. The bundle of rights consist of five rights, the right to possess, control, enjoy, exclude, and lastly dispose. So basically you can possess, take control, enjoy, exclude others, and then dispose of your real property as you wish as long as you do not break state and federal laws.

Lastly there are two other types of property we should mention.

Fixture





Fixture is personal property which has been attached realty and by that now is considered real property. So you would ask yourself upon selling to determine value "did you attach it to make it permanent?" The exceptions to this rule are the garage door opener and door key, these are not considered fixtures.

Trade Fixtures





Trade fixtures are those fixtures installed by say a commercial tenant or can be the property of the commercial tenant.

I hope this clears up some misconceptions about personal property, realty, land and real estate and now fixtures and trade fixtures!

Know About Roofing Services

Replacement is critical for a roofing system. No matter how big or small your residence is, various kinds of ruptures happen due to severe atmospheric conditions or material wear and tear. Replacing the roof involves a lot of initial investment but some of the best service providers can economize your expenses. It also involves a lot of time as it takes quite a number of days, sometimes even months to get done. And while the roofers are working on your project your life becomes so unsettled and disorganized. Overpriced repairs impact and hinder the design and performance ability of the building with constant cracks and other disfigurements.

Industrial roofing is a business that is flourishing very quickly these days. The reason being the repair and maintenance of roofs is very important. If you have a beautiful house it becomes necessary to pay attention towards its saving from time to time. There can be sudden leaks or cracks that may develop into a bigger problem and therefore it is better to be prepared than to regret later. When it comes to roofers there are industrial and business roofing improvement specialists that provide a complete installation service for all kinds of roofing systems like pitched roofing, flat roofing, coating and slating, sheeting, felting, waterproofing and general maintenance.

Roofing project handling includes various schemes that can be chalked out as per client's requirement. Initially one is required to request a quote or a rough estimate that how the project will look like. Depending on the quantity and quality of work the roofers forecast the budget and timeline and schemes to change the appearance of your roof.

The roofing services staff contractors of contractors that take care of decoration and design, window fixing, bricklayers, plumbers and electricians. There are many service providers that are quite experienced and have a dedicated team to ensure top quality driven service that reflects craft and value effective solutions.

Everything you should know about Roofing

Roof Restoration - complete make-over of your roof

With the assistance of consultants that can help you to reconstruct the most integral part of your house, the roof replacement process is tailor-made according to the customer.

While getting your roof repaired one has individual desires and experiences that come into aspect. This field of business requires time and patience in dealing with the interests of customers. Well- maintained roofs last for a lifetime and therefore one should get this done by licensed professionals adher to the norms and safety of the roofing.

Many roofing services provide complimentary services as well like fanlight windows, installation of electrical panels, restoration work and repairs, brick work and chimney repairs. Read the customer reviews and browse through the services of roofers and then decide which one to pick for your house.

How Does Apple iAd Differ From Google AdWords?

With the announcement from Apple during its event today that it is launching a mobile ad platform named iAd, one common question that has come up is how it differs from Google's AdWords for mobile program.

With the iPad now having sold over 450,000 units and counting, Apple is solidifying its lead as the mobile hardware / software play to beat. Before the iAds announcement those advertisers that wanted to launch an ad campaign on Apple mobile devices really only had two main choices. They could go the traditional route of using Google's AdWords program which would put text, image or video units on mobile pages that would be triggered by keywords just as Google's traditional desktop search ads work.

The other option was to use one of the mobile ad specialists that would place ads inside of specific applications. The largest of these was Admob which was purchased by Google after a short bidding war and stand off with Apple last year. Another was Quattro Wireless which Apple purchased only a few months ago.

Mobile advertising is big business ... and is expected to get much bigger. While fiscal year 2009 was a $ 400 million + year, by 2013 that is expected to nearly quadruple. Within 5 years in fact, estimates are that over 50% of all web advertising advertising will occur on mobile devices. By then the total ad market will be in the multiple billions. It's not hard to see why Apple wants a piece of this pie.

Steve Jobs today was very adamant in his belief that ads in search do not work well on mobile devices. This is due with limited screen real estate, people tend to use mobile devices for specific applications such as reading a book, playing a game or making a Skype call. They are not used as much for general browsing as one might do on a large screen such as a desktop or laptop. He believes that before that the real opportunity in advertising on mobile devices is for in application advertising that is done with a certain minimum emotional / entertainment value. Think videos and cool interactive games popping up in between levels of a game or before or after a call or use of an application.

What Steve apparently does not want is to have boring text ads such as you see all over the web that Google and yahoo put out that will simply clog up the small screen of a mobile device and simply annoy users.

Apple therefore is setting up its own system that will serve several purposes. First of all it will compete directly with Google via it's Admob purchase and other mobile specific ad platforms to sell ad units to advertisers. It will also work with developers to help design appropriate optimized ad space for their applications to help them earn revenue from ads and keep the price of their applications down while still making money.

Finally, it is unclear how much creative input Apple will have with the actual ads themselves. One would expect them to have some kind of quality control such as they do now on applications that are or are not accepted into the app store.

So what about Google?

Google will still be selling its ad units via traditional search. So in a way this is not a direct head to head battle with Google's bread and butter search ads. But since web advertising is headed into a more mobile direction over the next several years anyway, it would seem that it is in a direct battle for both the dollars ... and the form that advertising will take as things go forward.

What has not been mentioned yet is if the iAds platform will extend outside of Apple's ecosystem. For instance will you be able to use iAds on android or Windows mobile devices? Is this platform only for Apple devices? Only Steve Jobs knows for sure and the deciding factor will probably be what is best for Apple in the long run.

Homegrown Pepper Plants

Have your ever thought about growing your own pepper plants? Pepper plants are so easy to take care of and they do not take up a lot of space. What's not love they look amazing, smell amazing and are packed full of flavor when they're home grown. Eating your own produce is not only rewarding, but it can be chemical free and you can save a little money on your grocery bill.

You can plant peppers in a simple container or in the garden. Peppers do respond better to a warm climate, so if it's a little cool make a cloche, greenhouse or just pop them inside near a window. Peppers need the warm climate for growth and for them to ripen ready for picking.

Peppers are compact in size which make them ideal for small patios, terraces or in an indoor situation. They are perfect for anyone that wants to have home grown vegetables but has limited space.

Watching peppers grow is also fun and educational for children. Give them a garden project like this, and they might surprise you, by wanting to eat the Peppers they have cared for. To grow peppers at home you will need to buy some seeds or if you want them at a more advanced stage you can opt for seedlings or ready established plants that are in flower.

They are many varieties of peppers you can choose from some are bell shaped, long or even heart shaped. You can even add an interesting splash of color to your meals by choosing red, yellow, orange and green varieties of peppers.

The seeds available at your local nursery or garden center should be suited to the area you live in. If not it should be possible for them to order in the right Pepper seeds or maybe you can shop online for them.

To ensure you have healthy seedlings, plant the seeds in a rich compost mix and make sure their kept warm and damp. If you want to cover the pot with a cling wrap away from direct light. You will see the seedlings popping up a lot quicker as it's an ideal climate for them to germinate. Remove the cling wrap once the seedlings have emerged.

When your seedlings have reached the four leaf stage pluck out the ones that look thin and weedy. With the remaining strong plants remove them carefully not to break their roots and re-pot them into separate containers with a good quality potting mix for fruits and vegetables.

Put the seedlings in a sunny protected position as they need time to settle into their pots. Pepper plants love the heat so make sure when they are established they have full sun exposure either indoors or out.

To keep your peppers looking healthy, and well fed, they will require a fertilizer. You can choose from a variety of fertilizers that release food directly to the plant over time or every week apply a liquid fertilizer that's synthetic or natural.

Once your peppers bare flowers and then fruit, it will only be a matter of time before your eating your very freshly grown peppers.

9-Question Interest Inventory: A Great Way to Learn About Your Students

The first homework assignment of every school year for every student in each of my middle school math classes included a 9-question "interest inventory." This particular interest inventory is a self-assessment tool that invites students to reflect on their past experiences.

My students agreed that answering the 9 interest inventory questions was a nice change from the typical "What's your favorite this / that" survey, and I certainly had fun reading my students' responses! Straight away - at the very start of the school year - it is a very good way to get a bigger picture (even just a slightly bigger picture) of each student.

For teachers, the interest inventory can provide good initial information about student strengths and weaknesses. In fact, I think this questionnaire invited some students to talk with me in person about their strengths and interests, giving me even more information about learning styles.

Here is the 9-question inventory. I always asked students to answer all parts of each question, and to neatly write their answers in complete sentences.

1. What is your favorite activity or subject in school? Why? What is your least favorite? Why?

2. What subjects are difficult for you? What makes them the hardest?

3. If you could learn about anything you wanted to, what would you choose to learn about? Please be specific. (For example: meteorology, science fiction writing, architecture, cooking, carpentry, movie-making, etc.)

4. If people were to come to you for information about something you know a lot about, what would the topic be?

5. If you could plan a field trip, where would you go? Why?

6. Fill in the blank and rate EACH choice 1 = best, 2 = ok, 3 = worst

I learn ____ alone.

I learn ____ with one other person.

I learn ____ in a small group.

I learn ____ in a large group.

7. What helps you learn? (For example: hands on experience, reading quietly, taking notes, reading out loud, etc)

8. What projects - either past school assignments or outside of school - are you most proud of? Why?

9. Think of a great teacher you've had. Describe what made this teacher so terrific.

One student knew a lot about horses, and through the year gave me unsolicited tidbits of information (such as defining riding styles and saddles), and every once in a while updated me on her training and competitions. Getting to know her a little bit more outside the math classroom helped to engage her inside the math classroom.

Another student was proud of training her hamster, named El Noche, to win the local Petco Hamster Derby! I had to ask her about it because I had never heard of Petco Hamster Derbies. She happily described how she executed her training regimen in one of the hallways in her home.

The student who answered "I want to learn how to draw faces" is now a student at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. Without asking her at the start of the school year, I wonder how long it would have taken me to notice this very, very quiet student's inclination toward art ... maybe in the spring of that year when we studied geometry and she told me that she like how I used different colors to help highlight specific angles, sides, etc.

Questions 3, 4, 5, and 8 always cave me the most smile-inducing answers. I used the 9 questions above for 6th graders, but in general all the questions are great reflection questions, requiring answers with much more relevant information than favorite colors / food / sports / etc.