Historically london

The history of London as a permanent settlement stretches back almost two thousand years. The city's story is a fascinating one, its fortunes inextricably linked to those of the British Isles.

London was founded by the Romans at a convenient crossing of the Thames, though it had been convenient for the local inhabitants too. Tacitus describes a flourishing trading city existing in AD 67. The area was marshy but there was a low hill, roughly where the Bank of England now stands and it was here that the Romans chose to build a typical Roman city, primarily for military reasons.

England at that time was inhabited by a hodge-podge of tribes and small kingdoms, and the Romans had little difficulty subduing them - despite some noble efforts at defense. The locals assimilated Roman culture, and after a couple of hundred years were more Roman than the Romans. When the Romans pulled out, pressured by frontier wars, the Saxons took over. They hated living in the old walled Roman city and established their own city of long huts, roughly where Covent Garden is today.

By the time the Normans took over from the Saxons, the basis of the mercantile capital was already laid through a charter of citizen’s rights and a confederation of tradesmen, providing a counterweight to the aristocracy. London was a leading trading port of Western Europe wherein merchants from Italy, the Netherlands, France and Germany lived around the river it had only one crossing - the Old London Bridge, until 1769.

By the late 16th century, the seeds of England’s future as a world trading power were sown with the formation of the Trading Companies - The East India Company, The Muscovy Company the Levant Company, and the Turkey Company, which along with Britain’s naval prowess, saw management techniques still venerated by world corporations, conquer the world.

The Plague in 1665 and the fire in 1666 shook London out of its contentment but also lead to a wave of property development that saw the forerunners of Sir Richard Rogers dominating the city skylines.

The redevelopment went on into the 18th Century, seeing buildings like The Bank of England and most of the Bridges across the Thames springing up. The Victorians supervised the transformation of London into a modern city, sewers and underground railways tunneled beneath the clay of the world’s capital, while over ground railways and omnibuses opened up across the city, and the port of London enjoyed a final flowering.

Despite the presence of the Royal Palaces, Westminster Abbey (a place of pilgrimage) and the country’s first printing presses, Westminster really only came into its own in the 19th century, and was granted the title of a City, with its own mayor in 1900.

The two World Wars saw huge destruction, to both the populace and the city and some terrible rebuilding followed, with little real conservation work. London's architectural revival started with the completion of the Lloyd's building by Sir Richard Rogers in 1979. London is beginning to rival Paris in its Grand Projects.

How to properly seal a vinyl retrofit window

These days a lot of homeowners are replacing their old windows with vinyl windows using the retrofit style of window frame. This is particularly true in the west, and specifically, in California. The number one arguement that I have heard against using the retrofit method, is that it is susceptible to water leaks. Well, that's true if you don't do it properly. But, if you do a complete tearout of your old window down to the studs, you're going to have water leak issues there as well if you don't install the new window properly. So I think that arguement is, well, all wet. So, let me tell you the best way to install your retrofit windows that will ensure that water cannot get in.

There is an old song that goes, "It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya, it pours, man it pours". For those of you in California, you know how true this is. While California doesn't get a lot of annual rainfall, when it does rain, it can come down in buckets due to the close proximity to the ocean. So, you want to be sure that your windows are well sealed. If you are installing retrofit frames against a stucco house, you want to put a thick bead of sealant right on the outside face of the old window frame, all the way around. Latex caulk should work fine, but if you want to spend a little more to get the best sealant available, use 100% silicone. Depending on the number of windows you will be doing, this extra cost can add up. You pay approximately $1 for a tube of acrylic latex caulk, and $4 or more for a tube of 100% silicone. You are going to use 1-3 tubes per window, depending on the size. So you can see how it could add up. Here is a trick that I used to do to save a little money; The most vulnerable part of your installation is the top of the window, because gravity will have the water running down from the roof to the ground. It's not likely that water is going to find it's way through the sides or bottom. So, I used to carry two caulking guns, and load one with the silicone, and the other with the acrylic caulk. I would run the silicone accross the top of the old frame, and caulk the sides and bottom. Then, put your new window into the opening and have a helper hold it firmly in place while you plumb and level it, then screw it into place.

After you have the window completely installed, your final step should be to caulk where the retrofit lip meets the stucco. Here again, I used to use white silicone on the top, and caulk on the sides and bottom. You now have a double barrier against water infiltration. After about a week, check the sealant around each window for signs of cracking. Because stucco is usually uneven, there could have been gaps that were larger in some areas than in others. If you don't force the caulk into the gap to completely fill it, the caulk can sag before drying, causing a crack to form. Simply recaulk over any cracks that you see. You can check the silicone on top as well, but because silicone dries like a rubber substance, you shouldn't see any cracks there. OK, what if the replacement windows are going between wood trim surrounding the opening? If you are using the retrofit lip, and trimming it to fit between the wood, then you still apply the heavy bead to the old frame before installing the window. But, instead of sealing where the retrofit lip meets the stucco, you seal where it meets the wood. Then, you want to be sure to seal above the window, where the top piece of wood meets the stucco. Again, use silicone up there. Now, no water can run down the stucco wall and get under the top piece of wood.

Sometimes, though, you might decide not to use a retrofit style frame between the wood, choosing a block replacement frame instead. If you choose to do it this way, you have to add trim to the outside. You still want to apply the sealant to the old frame, then apply your trim so it contacts the new window as well as the sealant on the old frame. If you follow these procedures, you won't have to worry about any water penetrating into your home, I don't care how hard it pours!

3 steps to getting more traffic from youtube

YouTube is a very powerful social site. It’s the first thing that people check when they are looking for video clips; and YouTube videos can be and have been conveniently passed on to other internet users worldwide. Due to its extremely viral nature, YouTube is a wonderful tool for internet marketing. Here are the steps that you should follow in order to do so.

You probably have heard of YouTube. Well, who hasn’t? Millions of people are uploading, watching, downloading, or linking to videos in YouTube everyday. If you want to see a video of something, you can always check it out from YouTube.

YouTube is a free video sharing website that utilizes adobe flash technology in order to be able to display videos uploaded by its millions of members. These videos are watched and seen by around 20 million YouTube visitors every month. Videos in YouTube feature thousands of unknown and known people daily.

If you have a website, an account with YouTube would certainly benefit you. You can take advantage of its free video sharing and the extremely vast network of people you could market your product to. Just imagine how much traffic your website would generate through your own videos. There is no better way to advertise to millions of people for free than YouTube. Using this service, you can maximize all internet marketing opportunities. Here’s how you can use YouTube more effectively in your internet marketing efforts.

Step 1: Create a definite genre for your video

Deciding on what kind of video you will be creating depends on what kind of target audience you intend to create the video for. Colorful and interactive videos would work best for teenagers or college students. A more classic presentation will suit the professional and working market.

The idea is to create a video that would most attract its target market. Make sure that your video’s message is clear but concise. Make sure that your clip won’t play for more than 5 minutes.

Create an impact with your message. Try to shock and move people out of their usual indifference. Make them curious about your product, business or service and make them want to possess what you sell through the content of your video.

Make sure that you are clearly identifying yourself with the video. It should contain your logo or your company name. This is a way to make sure that your message won’t be lost to the viewers. Take your time in creating your video. Make sure that the finished product would give out the message that you want to convey.

Step 2: Strategically place your video in the net

A strategic placement of your videos in YouTube will raise people’s interest and would get them to watch your video. Make it a top-watch video. Chances are your video will appear on YouTubes’s home page, generating more possible interest. This is where viral marketing would start to work. Your videos will be watched and passed on by more and more people.

Step 3: Create a link to your website

Remember that the purpose of your video is to attract more people to visit your website. However, a direct sales pitch from a video is frowned upon by YouTube. To avoid having your video deleted (yet still being able to make a subtle advertisement), put a teaser trailer at the end of the video. Put your company name on the trailer and make sure the person watching it would know whom to associate the video with.

Understanding what network marketing is and how it works

For many people the term “network marketing” has very little meaning. In truth, it can be confusing if you do not have some baseline knowledge to work with. The concept of network marketing is simple - the more people you know the more you will sell. This is in contrast to standard marketing, which works from a single person level.

The best part about network marketing is the fact that you can make a lot of money. All you need to be able to do is sell yourself and then the product sales follow in stride. This is a definite advancement and one that many people are now taking advantage of.

When you are involved in network marketing, you are setting the stage for a waterspout of money to come rolling in should you be able to make the right choices and decisions. Under the basis of network marketing, you are selling the products to other people who will in turn sell the products and earn you a commission. This continues to filter through the ranks until you have built a huge network of people who are selling the products for you and you are collecting a bunch of checks without ever touching the product. So, in effect, you are selling the people rather than the products.

The best way to get started with this type of marketing is to be a product user yourself. So, if your product line involves vitamins, then you should be taking the vitamins yourself to give your sales pitch more credibility. People will be more apt to purchase from someone who truly believes in what they are selling.

In most cases, you are selling a product package that comes with resell rights when you are taking part in network marketing. With this system, you are able to build a team of people you need to become successful. This works to increase the amount of sales as well. If you can show them how they will make money from the products you are selling then you are more likely to gain their confidence and make the sale. Nearly the entire population is interested in making money in one form or another. You can use this desire to your advantage in most cases. Instead of simply spending money, the customers are in effect giving themselves the chance to earn unlimited income.

You should be very cautious about the way in which you use network marketing though. Over the years there have been some rather shady characters who have used the networking marketing setup to rob the people they sold to with lofty claims of fame and fortune. Giving the customers false hope of untold riches is now strictly forbidden in the industry and several governing bodies have come from this type of marketing. However, networking marketing can be a powerful tool when used properly and within the law.

Practice prior to the race

What does it take to have a great RC car race? I give you one word – practice. Of course, there are other factors (such as equipment, overall set up) which contribute to a racer’s victory or loss but it all boils down to a good practice run.

Go ahead and check other reading materials focused on RC related topics. You’d realize that practice does make a difference to how your RC car performs during the actual competition.

When you get to the venue, you can start practicing (that is if you have already signed up for the registration) on the track. Don’t get too excited though, your first practice run should be all about getting the feeling of the track, familiarizing it which means there’s no need to go running on top speed just yet. Learn how the track is laid out and master it if you can. Also, during this time, use an old and worn battery pack since running the track for the first time isn’t going to be pleasing at all.

On your next run, focus on your car and how you can best handle it. During your second run, try to see or feel anything that you think isn’t going to work out for you on the actual race. If everything seems to work okay don’t change any of your settings. After completing this run, you’re ready to go on your last and final run for practice. This time though, you need to shift your focus from all the other elements on the track to just your car and nothing else.

You have to realize that by this time, you can make any last adjustments you desire but then, don’t attempt in doing so if you’re not comfortable with it. To make sure that your settings is going to work accordingly, try to setup your car to the nearest setup ideal for the track. Though you may not set it up accurately, (since there’s no such thing as perfect) you’d at least get it working efficiently on the track during the race.

Coffee - the addictive stimulant

Coffee is one of the important commodities in the world. It is consumed by many people around the world and plays a major part in some economies of the world. It is traded through some major commodities board around the world, e. g. New York Board of Trade (NYBOT). Currently, Brazil is the worlds largest coffee producer which constitutes about 32% (year 2006) of the total world production.

Coffee is an "addictive" beverage made from grounded roasted coffee beans. The pleasant aroma and taste makes it irresistible to coffee lovers. There are many ways to consume this concoction. Some like it hot and some like it cold. It can be consumed with or without sweetener, cream, milk or any other combination you can think of. Its very versatile and creative people can create new taste and flavor. Many businesses have built an empire around coffee, like Starbucks.

The Origin Of Coffee

According to legend, coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia during the 9th Century by a shepherd called Kaldi. While tending to his herd, he was intrigued by the strange behavior of his goat. They were happily dancing and leaping after eating strange red berries. He plucked those berries and brought them to a neighboring convent and relates his observation to the priests there. They decided to boil those berries and after drinking the brew, found an extra boost of energy. From there on, the beverage starts to spread to other areas in that region from Egypt to Yemen before reaching Turkey, Persia and some parts of Africa.

Coffee eventually reached Europe in 1690 when the Dutch managed to smuggle coffee plants out from the Arabian land. It was first introduced into Moka (Mauritius), Sri Lanka, India and finally the island of Java in Indonesia before finally brought home to Europe. It was later introduced to the French Caribbean colonies. The coffee plant eventually spreads throughout the American Latin and soon the coffee beans become a major export commodity of some countries here.

Major Coffee Species

There are two major species of coffee plants cultivated for consumption, namely Coffea Arabica Linnaeus (commonly referred to as Arabica) and Coffea canephora (commonly called Robusta). The Arabica variety has a better taste compare to Robusta which is much bitter but less aroma. Sometimes, Robusta is used in the coffee blend to reduce cost. There are also other species of coffee plant like Coffea liberica and Coffea esliaca which is indigenous to Liberia and Sudan respectively.

The Art Of Roasting Coffee

The coffee beans have to be roasted before it can be consumed. After the coffee berries are harvested, the berries are stripped off their flesh leaving only the seed or beans. It is left aside to ferment in order to remove the slimy layer present on the coffee bean. When this process is completed, the fermented coffee bean is washed to remove fermented residue before being dried and graded.

There are several ways to roast coffee, such as traditional roasting, 10 minute quick roast, 90 second flash roast and many others. Different methods will give rise to different taste and aroma. As heat is applied, the coffee beans will loose moisture and turn dark. This is due to the natural occurrence of caramelized sucrose. When there is no more water in the coffee beans, the sugar and acid will begin to release their aroma. This is called the Maillard reactions. The roasting process is then halted and beans cooled and stored. Grinding can be performed and stored in an air tight container to maintain freshness.

Conclusion

Coffee is a favorite beverage of many people. It is now available in convenient forms like instant coffee granules. Some creative coffee companies have introduced pre-mixed sachets so that coffee can be consumed at any time, any place. Just add hot water and your coffee is ready. Canned coffee has also started selling in parts of Asia especially Japan and South Korea.

Curry - a journey

Due to a childhood in the Middle East, I was practically brought up on curry. My first memories of it are eating curried goat in the fire station of Dubai airport in about 1962. My dad was the airport manager and the Chief Fire Officer and his family were our good friends and neighbours. The firemen cooked for our two families - fiery hot curry for the adults and a much milder version for us kids. Some of the men were of Arabic origins and some of Indian so I think the resulting meal was something of a mixture.

I remember we were offered chairs and cutlery but we preferred to sit on the floor and in the traditional manner, ate only with our right hands. This posed something of a problem for my mother as she was left-handed - she avoided making inexcusable gaffes by sitting on her left hand until the meal was over.

We learnt to roll rice into balls and with the aid of chapattis (wheat flour flatbreads), scooped up the curry and popped it into our mouths without making too much mess. I don’t think I ate curry again in that way until many years later when I visited Goa and, at a spice plantation, was once again faced with banana leaf plates and fingers only. Bizarrely, in a nearby clearing, was a pink porcelain, pedestal hand basin with a hose pipe attached to the tap, fully supplied with soap and hand towels.

During those days of being expatriates in foreign lands, the British developed a liking for curry lunch on a Sunday. Doubtless this originated in India in the days of the Raj but still found its way to the Middle East and Africa. A group of friends would gather either at one of their houses or the local club. There would be beers or gins and tonics first (cola or fizzy orange for the kids). There wouldn’t be a choice of curries, as I recall, it was always chicken and no matter where we ate it and it always tasted the same. The accompaniments didn’t vary much either but we didn’t mind. There would be poppadoms, mango chutney and a variety of sambals - chopped fruits and salad stuff which might include any or all of banana, pineapple, apple, tomato, cucumber, onion, desiccated coconut, peanuts and raisins or sultanas. With luck there would be chapattis too.

My next curry experiences were back in England. How different it all was. Indian restaurants furnished in red velvet with flocked wallpaper in gold. All sorts of different curries - not only the main ingredient but the mix of spices and flavourings. There were choices of plain or spicy poppadoms, different breads and vegetable curries and dahls as well, no sambals though! On the down side, these curries were often rather greasy and we always thought of them as being terribly fattening - naughty but oh so nice! The saviour, if conscience got the better of us was Tandoori-cooked meats. These were marinated in yoghurt and spice paste and cooked in a Tandoor (an earthenware charcoal oven), so were in effect grilled and much healthier.

Change again then when I finally visited India in 1988 and discovered that meat curries were the exception rather than the rule. Many Indians are vegetarians so paneer (similar to cottage cheese) is popular as are the many dishes made with pulses and vegetables. There was no trace of the greasiness found in restaurants in the UK and the flavours were quite different too.

This voyage of discovery culminated in a determination to learn how to reproduce Indian food in my own home but more of that in another article.