The computer really sucks you in, doesn’t it. You plan to do one thing and before you know it you are clicking on facebook again to see if you have any new notifications or you are refreshing your email every 5 seconds in case you miss out on that important message that you have been waiting all of two hours for to arrive. It can be hard to get anything done online with all the distractions calling out to you from every direction.
Trying to keep your head above the water in times of financial instability can be quite stressful and unsettling. ‘Recession’ is one word that no person holding a regular job would like to hear. It is not however, all hunky dory for business people as well. After all if the entire country is grappling with an economic crisis every citizen is bound to be affected in one way or another.
Since the advent of internet, innovative ways of marketing and earning have been developed and business people are able to reach out to a far wider audience. This has enabled even the smaller businesses to sustain themselves when faced with an economic crisis. If by any chance you have been clever enough to set up an internet business and you have been shrewd enough to expand across international borders then you have a better chance of riding out whatever economic instability that your own country is facing. If your product is good enough to be picked up by an international audience you can always count on those customers to help keep your business afloat till your domestic economic scene stabilizes. If for example you specialize in costume jewellery and have built your own online store catering to customers worldwide, people who loved this jewellery would pick it up regardless of how the economic situation in your country is.
This does not mean that running an online business is as easy as making apple pie. People who enthusiastically set up online business, without the slightest clue of how to run it have also failed quite miserably. Every business has its share of upswings and downturns and not all internet businesses are successful. It is just that the internet has allowed you access to a worldwide audience that helps to minimize your risk to a certain extent. You can start with minimal investment and your overhead expenses as compared to a regular office or shop would definitely be far lesser. You do not need land space, water or electricity and you may or may not be required to hire people. These factors definitely help add to your profits as long as you know how to manage those profits and turn your business into a successful enterprise.
Not so long ago the internet was just a place where you could find some basic information, create a free e-mail account and that was about it. Well for the past 10 or so years this is the one place where you can have the most fun. Now it is so easy to listen to music, download movies, play online games with people around the world. The advancement of technology allows us to walk on the streets of Rome without Read the rest of this entry »
I have always loved Madagascar. Or the thought of one day going to Madagascar, I should say – I’ve never been even remotely close, and know only one person who has been anywhere near this magical, mystical place.
I’m not sure why, but every so often I get into this mind-set where I want to find out everything I can about this ancient place. So I do a Google search. My most current search led me to a WWF page…
…I’d been picturing a land where no humans were allowed, but in fact the reality is quite different…
…On it, a young Italian woman by the name of Alice Laguardia writes about her experiences volunteering in the island often known as Mada, and does so in an engaging way that really captures the spirit of exploration. I found it enchanting, insightful, and very educational. It gave me a much better understanding of what I would find if I one day manage to visit this wonderful land…a land home to countless – and I do mean countless – varieties of plant, animal and other kinds of life.
One thing which I was slightly shocked to discover, upon doing more research, is that Mada is very much inhabited and not just by creatures but by humans. For some reason, I’d been picturing a land where no humans were allowed, but in fact the reality is quite different and Mada is home to many people. And this, as I have read in other places on the internet, is the problem. The biggest of them all. Because as Man and Womankind expands its grasp on the surface of the Earth, the animals which share the rainforests and other once untouched places are being forced to adapt.
By adapt, I mean die out.
See, once, lemurs and other animals existed in countless numbers in Mada. Not so much anymore. Now, the numbers are dwindling. It is people like Alice who keep the spirit of conservation alive in this ever-changing place.
You might well think How does this affect me? I work for red diesel Scotland and I’m never likely to go to Madagascar. But what about your children? Do you really want them to grow up in a world where certain parts of it have been destroyed beyond all recognition through deforestation? Thought not. So, if you have some time on your hands and are wondering about volunteering in the third-world, visit Madagascar and see if you can lend a helping hand. I’m sure, from what I read, that it will be appreciated!
We all have friends who say they are ’adrenalin junkies’, right? I know I do. Well, if you’re getting absolutely sick of hearing about all their extreme exploits and how they’re going to free-climb yet another wall with absolutely no safety-gear, maybe you should do what I did. After that you’ll have FAR less hassle.
My friend Dave used to be obsessed with adrenalin-fuelled anything. Didn’t matter what it was, he just loved it. I was starting to get really Read the rest of this entry »
Fonts: from magazines to newspapers to, of course, novels, we couldn’t do without them. We reply on them not only for getting an important message across, but for gaining interest from passerby and stimulating thought processes so that a single glance might equate to parting with some hard-earned cash. Whatever your stance on the best and the worst fonts out there, you’re bound to find something of interest over at I Love Typography.
Ever wondered how badly wrong internet dating can go? Well, although the documentary – if that is what it is; there is still some debate over what the film really is – doesn’t actually tackle this topic head on, it does examine what happens when two people start to get to know each other online, and one of them ends up being not quite what the other expected…
It is an entirely difficult choice Rome or Paris for a short break? Pizza on the Spanish Steps or carte r4i at the Centre Pompidou? Here are some things to think about in your planning.
Transport. It is really great to be able to take the Eurostar to Paris from the centre of London, to the centre of Paris, it is relaxing, with none of the hassles of flying. If you have a bit more time, I would really suggest Read the rest of this entry »
Before you arrive in Cologne, Germany, you might be thinking that you’re going to walk round a city and have a look at the ruins left over from the bombings all those years before. You’d be mistaken. Generally speaking, this city, located in the West, was rebuilt almost completely. Only a few clues remain of those times gone by, although when you see the contrast of old building standing next to ultra-new one, it isn’t easy to guess where some Read the rest of this entry »
Last year, I spent a semester abroad, away from home as part of a uni work experience placement. As a poor university student, finding a cheap flight home to London was one of my top priorities. I was already spending over £10,000 in tuition and program fees, so I wanted to save as much money as possible on my airplane ticket.
