Known for being one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, London is a city that draws millions of visitors each year. Being a very large city, there is so much to do in London. And no matter what your interests are, you’re sure to find something up your alley!London is noted for hosting a number of festivals each year that draw huge crowds. These festivals vary in themes, and are sure to entertain and teach visitors about the unique parts of this multicultural city.One of the most popular festivals is the City of London Festival, which is held each summer. In June and July the festival showcases the art, music, film and architecture that make London so unique – as a result this proves a big draw for both locals and tourists alike.In addition, August welcomes the smaller but just as popular Notting Hill Carnival. Held in one of London’s most popular areas, the street festival is a showcase of food and culture. In fact, it is thought that this carnival draws in close to two million people each year.For a child-oriented festival, each year the Waterloo Carnival is a treat for parents and children alike. Each year’s festival marks a theme, and 2008 proved very popular with a Wizard of Oz focus that was fun for everyone.In September, visitors are drawn to the River Thames, which flows through the middle of the city. The Mayor’s Thames Festival stretches between the London Eye and London Bridge, and showcases art and music along the way.But not all festivals in London are held during the warm months! Winter is also a time for celebration, with various festivals being held in the beginning of the year. The London Art Fair begins in January and is a display of some of the best contemporary art in Britain. And for sporty types, the London Boat Show is also held in January. The show displays the newest designs and features a variety of boats from around the world. Best of all, many of these festivals and events in the city are free for visitors to enjoy.And no matter what kind of entertainment you’re searching for, London is sure to have an event, festival or show that fits with your interests.However, it is important to remember that planning well in advance is key for such events, especially if you wish to find hotels in London conveniently located to your festival of choice.
Embracing the Arts and Culture of London
The Business Idea Merit Test
A business idea is merely a thought or concept that has not yet materialized. They are a dime a dozen, and almost everyone has conceived a product or service idea. Your idea only has merit if it adds value or solves a problem for the intended consumer without too many limitations or disadvantages. The window of opportunity has to be right by providing something beneficial that is currently not offered by direct and indirect competitors. And you must also be willing to modify it if necessary.The Purpose of Idea Merit TestBefore your begin developing a business plan for your new idea, conduct a brief idea merit test survey. Describe your business concept on a piece of paper to show to potential consumers, and then ask them to complete a simple one-page survey to determine their interest in the product and gain additional feedback. This can help you determine if your idea has merit, and you can use the feedback to strengthen your original product or service idea.The Idea Merit Test QuestionsAfter you describe your product of service idea on a sheet of paper, ask 10-15 people in your potential target market to complete a short survey. The survey contains ten questions. The first seven components use an easy-to-use Likert scale as follows:0 = Non-existent1 = Minor degree2 = Moderate degree, but somewhat vague3 = Moderate degree, but quite clear4 = Major degree5 = Extreme degreeTo what degree does this business idea:___ 1. add value or help solve a problem for me?___ 2. provide immediate benefits to me?___ 3. provide delayed benefits to me?___ 4. have limitations?___ 5. have disadvantages?___ 6. appear to be alterable or modifiable?___ 7. offer me something I would consider buying today?The last three questions allow for feedback to help you improve on the idea:8. Would you purchase this product?___ Yes___ Maybe___ NoIf ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, how much would you pay? ___________9. What do you like most about this business idea?10. If you could make improvements to the idea, what would they be?Further Information on Each Survey Question1) Value: People do not purchase products and services. They buy solutions to their problems and things that add value to their lives. So, if they do not see the value in your idea, it will be apparent in the cumulation of your responses.2) Immediate Benefits: Most people want to realize instant benefits upon a new purchase. People tend to place more value on immediate consequences than on delayed consequences.3) Delayed Benefits: Some products or services may not provide immediate benefits to the user; however, the value created or problem solved is realized weeks, months, or even further down the line, such as financial investments.4) Limitations: Limitations are the positive things your product or service cannot perform or that others can do better, and no product or service is without limitations.5) Disadvantages: Limitations are positive things your product or service is unable to perform. Disadvantages are negative things that occur as a result of using your product or service. Disadvantages do not necessarily kill the idea, however, the benefits must clearly outweigh the costs.6) Modifications: Based upon the limitations and disadvantages, your respondents may have ideas for modifications. This will become more apparent in question #10.7) Window of Opportunity: Are people in the right mindset and is this the right timing for your idea now? The ATM machine and its counterpart the ATM card gained popularity in the mid-1990s. What few people know is that the ATM was invented in 1939. However, in 1939, people were simply not ready to allow a machine to handle their money instead of a person. The window of opportunity for this idea was several decades away.8. Willingness to Buy: This taps more into question #7 by asking them directly if they would buy it or not, and also how much they would be willing to pay. This information is key before developing a business plan.9: What They Like Most: This simply offers you insight into the best part(s) of your idea. Hopefully, people will leave good comments in this section for you to build upon.10. Improvements: This provides feedback on what they do not like about the idea or what they would like to see changed. Do not view this as negative feedback. Instead, use their suggestions to make your idea better and stronger.SummaryMany nascent entrepreneurs believe the first step to launching a new venture is writing the business plan. A business plan is a blueprint for execution. You should not spend any time, energy, or other resources writing the plan until you are sure your idea has merit. A quick and easy idea merit survey is a good tool to use.
Challenges in Education in Today’s Society – Globalization and Changes in Education
Recent investigations in the study of demographic trends at global level are currently making light on a very controversial aspect, although ignored by global institutions, like O.N.U., U.N.D.P., G 20, same by organizations with attributions in the educational field (as UNESCO, Youth International Authorities and other). The so-called “demographic winter” phenomenon, which reveals the dramatic consequences of the “modern” life, marked by familial and moral decline, by miscarriage, vulgarization and the homosexuality “normalization”, by the poisoning influence of the majority of mass-media and the “Hollywood culture” are inoculating egocentrism, frivolity and irresponsibility. Considering this demographic trend offers a new dimension to the way in which abundance and resource of the world are distributed and also gives a new vision on elementary educational issues.The globalization of education is reflecting itself in the extension and unification of educational practices, used by all those public or private entities, involved as active social educators. Over time, the public education systems in developed or emerging countries, which promote formal education, are illustrating with consistency the practice of a classical education system. In the field of non-formal education there are used more innovating and diverse methods of education, but unfortunately few of this are oriented upon individual behaviour reshaping in the global context, and they are looking only to proliferate consumerist habits, by preparing youngsters for a successful professional career start. The presence of NGO’s with international coverage and professional training companies has fixed the currently understood “development in education” in comfortable limits. This makes room for a reshape of educational fundamentals and, more obvious, for the ultimate purpose of learning.Most people think that education should equip them with the proper exploitation instruments so that they can forever trample over the masses. Still other thinks that education should furnish them with noble ends rather than means to an end. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.Socially speacking, the technological revolution, the broaden access to information and the modern lifestyle facilities have made possible the appearance of an irreversible phenomenon in the conflict between generations. In our present times, the children, “sons of globalization” have access to multiple sources of information, with the internet being most of the time an instrument of self-education. The balance is leaning in the favour of the power of informed youth, who become “the teachers”, explaining the new world order to the eldest. This theory takes into consideration the acceleration of technology and the way of our lifestyle, but, beyond its observational character, it does not bring up the discussion on the relevance of educational systems, visible outmoded, which attempts to destroy the moral and statutory principles. The wisdom is transmitted from the old generation to the youth, and not backward.Therefore we are raising the question regarding the way organisms responsible for educational issues should reconsider the basic fundamentals of this basic activity, which clearly has guided the evolution of our world so far. It isn’t enough for organizations like U.N.E.S.C.O or U.N.D.P. to confront the absence of primary education and the discrimination regarding access to education in underdeveloped countries, to avoid resettling the educational needs inside an inappropriate system. It is necessary to deal with these aspects in proper time, because we consider education the key-element which can slow down the process of planet and people self destruction.The proposal regarding fundamentals reshaping and reviewing the individual education, approached in all stages and cycles of life, starts with the assumption that “Man has to be educated to act responsible towards the environment and civilization, and not interfere in the harmony and balanced world development with his behaviour”. This observation, not exactly recent, triggered a chain of initiatives in the educational system in countries like France, Italy, Germany, including Romania, but I consider that implementing a discipline of Civic Education, in the gymnasium module is not enough, neither convincing.We feel that the new fundamentals and principals of education, which must be known, understood and applied by every teacher, through all the range of educational processes in the long life learning of individuals, and also in the non formal educational process, whereat people have access during existence are:1. Self-consciousness – is essential because it allows every individual to find his role in society, to know his weak points and to develop them according to his unique talents genetically inherited. A person aware of his/her self can easily act in choosing the occupation or the carrier to practice that he or she will be able to direct his energies to and recognize the real problems that the world and society faces. Consciousness-based education, introduced in 1971 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is unique in its ability to effectively develop the total brain potential of every student.2. Stimulating creativity – this special quality is reflected in the mental and social process of generating new ideas, concepts, associations, and permits individual adaptation to unpredictable contexts and situations. There are simple techniques, associated to lateral thinking that can promote this capacity, for example: improvisation, fiction as imaginary product, (Randomness, Improvisation, P.S.).3. Communication – in the actual forms and methods used as learning practices, communication is not capitalized at being the supreme value, because mostly individual activity it’s encouraged, which promotes inappropriate values like egoism, indifference, self-interest. Without communicating problems and discussing difficult situations, there is no way to claim solving the issues in optimal parameters of time, quality and accuracy. The man can not act in terms of social responsibility, as a “macro attitude”, which I consider as being shallowly approached, especially in the economical environment.4. Promoting a responsible role in society – education must train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half truths, prejudices, and propaganda. At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. This is the way in which he or she could develop and exercise an active role in society.5. Changing opening – in order to be able to intervene in the actual course of the life circle, accepting and promoting the changes is considered a healthy habit, which stimulates the flexibility and the disruption of existing corporately stereotypes, which are heading humanity to destruction, because of the ignorance or simply because of unknown problems that Terra is facing. From this perspective, the change tackling implies a real transformation at psychological level and of human behaviour, therefore to satisfy those priorities needed to be handled immediately. Here we refer to: the necessity of a re-conversion of world economy from a military economy to civil one, immediate solutions for energetic and environmental problems, as well as for the underdevelopment and poverty aspects propagated into the world.6. Global vision upon world – the actual educational system, as a whole, is constituted by a sum of operations (method -> evaluation -> communication), whose final objective must reflect a pragmatic and global view on the world. At present, the youth is informed regarding global problems through sources like mass media, not making possible a healthy analysis, not making possible a debate and a thoroughness facilitation that could lead to the understanding and building-up personal opinions regarding aspects like underdevelopment, global economical relations, international monetary system, etc.7. The ability of solving problems – solving problems is the easiest way to re-create conditions and actions in an artificial manner, experience which allows pupils and students to deal with in a constructive way and to develop solutions for different problems. Learning systems which are basically constructed like this are superior because it helps individuals to recognise and adapt to specific economic, social, psychological, spiritual context and to detect real problems in any form, associating optimal alternatives of decision. For example, simulating a complex economical context for a start-up enterprise leads to the stimulation of individual creativeness and decision-making abilities.8. Multidisciplinary teams – to permit the reshaping and the restructuring of scholar curricular in the needed form in order to develop these abilities and capacities, we are suggesting even some changes in the study of discipline, considering the logical and contextual relations between them, providing an understanding of all existing correlations at a certain point. For example, Public Finances should be studied in the International Monetary System context and not separately. At the same time this characteristic involves, according to those said before, the start point of collaborations between students coming from different specialization, in order to accomplish complex projects with a multidisciplinary approach. In this case, the elaboration of a business plan would unite students from different specializations in economical science discipline (services, marketing, management) and students from engineering, agriculture and others profile Universities.In recent years, there have been promoters that recognise the importance of remodelling and updating the learning systems and they have introduced some of this principals through various pedagogic and psychology methods and ideas, which became guide-lines in Universities educational activities from regions around the world. A recent example at this point is the study made by Clay Shirky, author of “Here Comes Everybody”, in which he proposed an innovating learning model, named Open Model of Education. In the Closed Model of Education or Classical System, education is limited because the ideas that a school or district can consider can come from only a limited number of sources, usually teachers, administrators, and consultants. A great deal of thought must be put into the consideration of ideas because the time and cost of failure are so high. Time spent with meetings, staff training, and materials, has a cost. This means the filter for ideas is very high. Only those ideas that seem to have the most benefit will be implemented, though there is no way to know in advance that one of the ideas picked will bring the desired benefit, and one of the ideas left on the table could be the most effective and beneficial.It is true that by putting into practice an educational system based on the same universal fundamentals it essentially means stimulating globalization through its universal optic itself. Although the manner in which this model contributes to the globalization phenomenon is clear, still we must consider the fact that the final purpose of education is no other then confronting globalization’s effects and influences, as well as the global negative impact upon environment and, ultimately, upon the way people live everywhere. Education will allow us to know the actual estate of the world, with all its pluses and minuses, and also will increase the awareness of the impact of every individual upon the world and upon the next generations. In other words, we consider politics, economy or administrative sciences weapons of less importance in the process of global issues eradication, compared to education, as a social science.To conclude, I would like to specify the way these ideas were generated and which were their fundamentals. This actual study is not a result a thorough research activity, neither a genius idea. I am myself a “product” of a classic, formal educational system, but also had some benefits form the non-formal educational system by involving myself in a volunteer organization that developed soft skills and hard skills both. I consider that these educational practices are not adapted enough to the global context that we are facing everyday, and that specialized literature is exposing, bringing up to light its pronounced effects of human existence on Terra. I am a person that does not hold sufficient information and power to be a voice and to be able to get involved in a sustainable and constant development of society, whose values are not profit, nepotism, indifference towards future generations, but responsibility to create and offer equal chances. I am an ambassador of a civilization which is plunging headfirst, shy daring to change the dissonant order and murderously world.
A Guide to Help You Pick the Best Air Purifier for Your Loved Ones
Holidays are around the corner. This is the time of year when people start purchasing gifts for their loved ones. If you are going to purchase an air purifier for someone you love, we have some helpful tips for you. If you want to purchase the best unit, you may be able to use this guide to your advantage. Read on to find out more.
1: Set Your Budget
Just like anything you purchase, make sure you have set your budget first. The price of the unit will vary based on a lot of factors, such as the capacity, filter type, features, and brand of the unit. If you don’t have a flexible budget, we suggest that you go for a product that is available to purchase for less than $300.
2: Consider the Needs of the Recipient
Your next move is to consider the needs of your recipient. If you are going to purchase this unit for everyday use, we suggest that you go for a unit that comes with a HEPA filter. On the other hand, if your loved one has a specific need, we suggest that you consider a specialized unit.
For example, if they are more prone to respiratory issues, such as allergies and infections, we suggest that you get a UV purifier for them. The devices are designed to neutralize viruses and bacteria.
3: Think About the Available Space
Another primary factor is to consider the available space in the office or house of the recipient. For example, if they need a general-purpose unit for a small apartment, you may want to consider a filterless unit.
On the other hand, if they have plenty of free space, you may consider a bigger unit that features a higher airflow rating. These units are powerful enough to cover a large face.
4: Consider Extra Features
Lastly, we suggest that you consider additional features that they will just love. For example, some units come with an indicator that turns on when the filter needs to be replaced. This will allow the user to change the filter so that the device continues to work properly.
So, you may want to consider these features before you place your order. These features may not be important to you, but your friend may just be over the moon.
Long story short, we suggest that you consider these four tips if you are going to purchase a gift for your loved one on these holidays. Since the air is full of pollution during winter days, nothing can make a better gift than an air purifier. Therefore, you should consider these tips before looking for an online or physical store to make your purchase decision.
Make The Best Home Business Choices With This Advice
A lot of people think that operating a home business is something that is hard to do, but it’s actually something easy if you apply yourself and learn the information. Look at this article with a careful eye and see what information you can take and use towards your home business goals.
One of the reasons why many people decide to become involved in home business is so that they have more time to spend with their kids. However, as their business grows, they also easily find themselves in situations where their kids impede their ability to work effectively. Just because it is a home business however does not mean that a nanny, babysitter or daycare center is out of the question. Don’t ignore these resources just because of the fact that it is a home business!
Study your competition carefully. Understand their pricing and know where you fit in. Never say negative things about your competition. Have your ever noticed that malls are full of clothing stores that all manage to keep doing business? Competition brings out the best in different businesses and every business has its own unique nuances that draw different customers. Talk up your own business, your products’ features, and how they benefit your customers.
If you already have a degree in business management that is great, but you should still continue to read as much as possible. If you don’t have a degree in this, don’t worry, you will still be able to catch yourself up through self-teaching and even hands on experience. Many of the best business professionals never finished college.
Use an attention-grabbing name for your website domain. There are many different websites and you want to make sure that yours stands out from the rest. A catchy name can be the perfect thing to get traffic to your site, it will be easy for a potential customer to remember and easy for them to access.
Decide if you are going to be involved in every aspect of the business. When starting a new business, having a staff of full time employees might not be financially possible and many of those tasks have to be handled on your own. As the business grows and money flows in, you can think about hiring personnel to call customers, collect receivables and thousands of other tasks that a small business needs to get done.
You should try contacting a local radio station and making a deal with them to barter products for a small bit of airtime. They can use your products for prizes in contests or free giveaways and in turn, they can mention your business as the place where they got these products.
With all of the information you just learned you want to try to do the best of you ability to apply it towards your home business. The thing about being successful in home business is that you want to continue to expand your knowledge and apply it. You should see success in no time.