Best Trees for Indoors

Trees are great things to have in your yard. They clean the air, they give shade and privacy, they are great for climbing and they are beautiful to look at as well. While many trees are just too big to think about growing inside, there are many trees that make wonderful accents to the inside of your home. Here’s just a few:

If you are a fan of the Victorian Era you may have seen pictures or seen movies of the time with parlour palms sprucing up the, well, parlour. The adapt well to low light and humidity and they are on the list of NASA’s 50 Plants That Clean the Air. And face it, they’re breezy and fancy and who wouldn’t want one in their living room in a large ceramic pot?

If you want a touch of Christmas in your home year round, what about a Norfolk Pine? They are essentially baby Christmas trees that love bright light and moist soil. At Christmas time you can decorate them with little bows or fairy lights, but they make a great addition to any room year round.

If you like big bold statements you’ll want a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree in your living room. These trees have large sculptured leaves that give the air of the tropics without being weepy or wispy. These trees love light but don’t like drafts so keep them away from windows and doors and you’re good to go.

The Ficus is perhaps the most popular indoor tree there is, heck, they even make a fake version that you just dust once in a while and forget about. The real version is actually a weeping fig tree if you want to get technical, and they come in different textures and heights so they’re perfect for any room, any where.

Love the tropics but live where there seems to be perpetual winter? Then what about adding a Majesty Palm to your home? They are fan shaped and have that tropical feel to them and best of all they are slow growing if they aren’t getting strong sunlight. Throw on the heat, watch the palm tree and pretend you’re on the beach, even if it is January and there is a blizzard waging outside.

If you like more of a desert type tree then the Yucca is for you. They have thick woody stems and pointy leaves that come in a variety of blue to blue green colors and have yellow, cream or white tones to them too.

Tips for Successful Luxury Coach Business Trips

It’s not unusual to find a company that has hired a coach to take its employees to a seminar, conference or simple social event but who have subsequently been disappointed with the results.

Here we’ll examine some of the common causes and their solutions.

Poor turnout / response to invitation

This is a commonly expressed frustration in many organizing departments.

Ignoring mechanical causes (such as poor communication of the “we weren’t told” variety or insufficient notice) this is often attributable to:

low morale in the company;
a lack of interest in the event concerned;
conflicting priorities (your event has been scheduled at a time which clashes with other things).

There is no easy answer to this and simply making attendance mandatory isn’t likely to be the answer. You may need to analyse the causes in more detail.

Dissatisfaction with the quality of transport

In the 21st century, professional people expect corporate transport to be modern and comfortable.

If an “old banger” of a coach arrives at the outset, then already your session is in trouble due to creating the wrong impression.

Be prepared to spend a little money here to get a comfortable limo bus.

Impacting personal lives

Today, most people expect and demand a professional / personal life balance.

So, anticipate dissatisfaction and disgruntled attendees if they’ve had to get up at 4am to make your planned departure time and/or they won’t be getting back home until the early hours of the morning.

A luxury coach might help alleviate some of this through comfort during the journey but it won’t, in itself, be the solution.

Impacting professional lives

On a similar theme to the above, asking people to get back very late to their homes, while expecting them to be back in the office at 8am and firing on all cylinders, is likely to be a recipe for ill-feeling.

Provide or arrange for refreshments

If people have been asked to get up unusually early and been on a coach for some time, then it’s really good psychology to provide (or stop for) some refreshments.

A little caffeine and a calories boost can ensure people arrive at the destination eager to get started rather than tired, jaded and looking for reasons to complain.

Railroading

Ideally, your corporate event should be so desirable by its very nature that your colleagues should be fighting for the chance to participate.

Only use “attendance is mandatory” approaches as an absolute last resort, as touched on earlier.

If you see a lack of interest and voluntary participation, something is wrong and a re-think is required. People typically don’t respond well to being forced to attend company events.

Relate to the wider world

Remember that a corporate event will be seen by many against a much broader backdrop of the wider business world you share with your colleagues.

So, expect a very negative reception for (e.g.) a company team-building exercise held at an expensive external venue, if just a few days before the company has announced major ancillary benefits cuts for employees due to the prevailing economic circumstances.

Copyright Infringement in the Digital World

Downloading files from the internet is not a crime, but if you download files for free which you usually have to pay for, then there’s a problem. The piracy issue occurs when the copyright owners do not get the amount that they are due.

Piracy is the illegal copying and selling of copyrighted materials, but the common misconception is that people don’t think it matters because no one gets hurt. In reality, the evolution of piracy from burning CDs and DVDs to digital copying has affected the global economy. Pirating a physical copy or streaming illegally affects the livelihood of artists too.

Pirated copies are not always great

Most of the time, illegal copies do not have the same quality as the legal content. A pirated movie may have been recorded on a camcorder at the back of a cinema, so the quality is poor. Its content may be grainy or black and white at some parts. Copies downloaded from the internet on the other hand may suddenly stop at some parts and the sound quality can be very quiet and muffled.

Easy digital access

Downloading directly from the computer has become popular among internet users primarily because of the ease of access. Even with the number of sites that offer legal downloads, there are still file-sharing networks that offer free access to copyrighted materials. And it’s sad that many are active in some form of piracy, either through streaming, downloading, or the old school style of buying counterfeit DVDs.

In any case, piracy costs the entertainment industry. It is stealing from the businesses involved in the art. People must remember that nothing is free. Pirate sites make money through subscription costs or advertising when a consumer streams illegal content. The operators of these sites earn from sharing copyrighted materials that they do not own and have no permission to distribute.

How to minimize the problem?

Having internet service providers get on board in helping fight piracy and detect copyright infringements has always been a struggle. It would require content holders to educate people and private entities to be responsible, make them understand the importance of copyright, and encourage them to support different ways to consume content legally like going to the cinema or subscribing to Netflix and other video-on-demand sites.

Piracy may not be easy to kill but it can be reduced. Besides, with all the latest technology coming out, we only need to keep up. Also, there are entities that help fight piracy with the use of software to detect copyright infringements.

How to Officiate a Wedding: How to Manage Unexpected Noise and Distractions

You’ve rehearsed and practiced your ceremony, but are you prepared for unexpected noises and distractions? Rehearse many times so you’re able to look up from the page and speak to the couple. Your discipline will pay off because unwanted distractions happen.

The three most common unwanted distractions are babies, airplanes and road noise. If you want to know how to officiate a wedding and how to manage unexpected noises and distractions, keep reading. Below, you’ll find ways to manage all three.

First and foremost, rehearse! Read every ceremony aloud 10-15 times beforehand and use different color pens to make marks on the pages, which will help to keep your spot.

Rehearsing can’t prepare you for everything, but it sure gives you a great head start.

How to manage unexpected noise from babies and kids: Before any ceremony, ask guests with kids to please have a plan, should their child become a distraction during the ceremony.

This isn’t always easy because it offends people sometimes so to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings you might consider something like, “I love kids. I have two little ones and understand that sometimes they’re noisy at exactly the wrong time. With that being said, if by chance your child loses it during their ceremony, please secret service him out instead of trying to quiet him down and accidentally creating an even bigger distraction. The bride and groom only get one shot at this and we all want it to be perfect for them!” 99% of the time the parent will gladly agree.

How to manage unexpected noise from airplanes or automobiles: This happens a lot. Many airports are in the center of the city so airplanes are constantly overhead. You might not want to mention the airplane noise to the couple before their ceremony, because you don’t want to potentially stress the couple out. Instead, wait until it actually happens.

If an airplane flies overhead during their ceremony, lower your microphone at the exact time the plane is almost overhead and ask, “Do you guys want me to wait for the plane to pass or power through the noise?” and let the bride and groom decide. Most couples will ask that you pause and wait for the plane to pass, and all couples will appreciate that you give them a choice.

Motorcycles and loud cars are often an issue too. Some venues located on main roads in nice areas, where motorcycles are popular and they are LOUD! Fortunately, they pass by fairly quickly, so you might not even want to ask the couple what they prefer. Simply pause and wait, as if it’s no big deal.

Your body language and energy is important. If it’s no big deal to you, it’ll be no big deal to your couple and the goal is to have them feeling great.

How to manage unexpected noise from cell phones: The easiest way is to ask people to silence their phones. Before the ceremony when everyone is lined up and about to walk in, instruct the bridal party to please verify their ringers are turned off.

The only way to prevent guest’s phones from ringing is to make an announcement at the very beginning of their ceremony, and that’s something that should be left up to the couple. Never ask guests to keep their phones away unless the couple asks you to.

You might then say something like, “Bride and Groom are having what’s known as an unplugged ceremony, meaning that they’d like you to please keep your phones away and sit back and fully relax. Be present and enjoy their ceremony. They’ve hired a really great photographer, who’s going to make photos available to everyone, so you won’t miss anything.”

I hope these tips were helpful.

Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence

Read the following points below:

1. Companies are aggressively moving to computerized support of their organizations. Can you list at least 2 of the factors driving this move?

• Speed and efficiency.
• Legibility and accuracy.
• Self-sufficiency.
• Cheaper research and development.

2. The definition of Business Intelligence (BI) is:

BI is an umbrella term that combines architecture, tools, databases, analytical tools, applications and methodologies.

What does “umbrella” term mean?

The definition of Business Intelligence (BI) encompasses various software applications used to analyze an organization’s raw data. The discipline entails many related activities, including data mining, online analytical processing, querying and reporting

3. Sometime we say that the term Business Intelligence (BI) is “context free”. What does this mean?

The term business intelligence is “context free” in the sense that the expression means different things to different people. For this reason, we have seen researchers advancing different definitions for business intelligence.

4. Describe what a data warehouse is and how it might differ from a traditional database used for transaction processing.

A data warehouse is a central repository for corporate data and information that an organization derives transaction data, operational systems and external data sources. Although these two may look like they are similar, they exhibit several differences with regard to usage pattern, architecture as well as technology. A traditional database is based on operational processing while a data warehouse is based on informational processing.

A data warehouse focuses on storage, filtering, retrieval and analysis of voluminous information.

A traditional database is used for day to day operations while a data warehouse is used for long-term informational requirements.

5. What is the difference between a data warehouse and a data mart?

A data mart is a subset of a data warehouse that relates to specific business line. Data marts are managed by a specific department within an organization. On the other hand, a data warehouse involves multiple subject areas and assembles detailed information from multiple source systems.

6. What is meant by “Big Data”?

Big data refers to a huge volume of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data from which viable information can be extracted. This kind of data is so voluminous that it cannot be processed using outmoded database and software techniques. Big data helps organizations to improve their operations and be in a position to make quick and smart decisions.

7. Data mining methods are divided into supervised and unsupervised methods. What are these and how are they different?

Supervised data mining method has to do with the presentation of fully labeled data to a machine learning algorithm. On the other hand, unsupervised data mining methods conduct clustering. Data instances are divided into a number of groups.

Unsupervised data mining methods do not put emphasis on predetermined attributes. Moreover, it does not predict a target value. Instead, unsupervised data mining finds hidden structure and relation among data.

Supervised data mining methods are appropriate when there is a specific target value that I to be used to predict about data. The targets can have two or more possible outcomes, or even be a continuous numeric value.

Supervised data mining methods the classes are known in advance while in the other the groups or classes are not known in advance. In supervised data mining methods, data is assigned to be known before computation but in unsupervised learning Datasets are assigned to segments, without the clusters being known.

8. When we consider KPI’s (key performance indicators) we distinguish between driver KPI’s and outcome KPI’s. What is the difference between the two (give a couple of examples of each)

Key performance indicators provide a framework on which organizations can value their progress. Outcome KPIs which are also referred to as lagging indicators measure the output of previous activities. On the other hand, driver KPIs/leading indicators measure the activities that have a significant on outcome KPIs. Driver KPIs have a significant effect on outcome KPIs, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

9. A BSC (balanced scorecard) approach for BPM (business process management) is well-know and widely-used. Describe the strengths of a BSC approach.

BPM entails activities

BPM involves activities like automation, remodeling, monitoring, and analyzing and improving business processes.

Cost efficiency

This is one of the most palpable benefits of BPM approach. It cuts down on costs and increases revenue. BPM adds crucial value in the long run by allowing businesses to compete globally. BPM technology equips a business to switch gears and respond to changing business environment appropriately.

Agility

Change is inevitable in business and a business must be ready to undergo sudden changes at any time. BPM accords a business the flexibility of making changes at minimal costs.

Improved productivity

BPM automates several elements within regular workflows. Process improvements such as eliminations of drawbacks, elimination of redundant steps, and introduction of parallel processing are achieved through BPM. These process improvements allow employees to focus on other important activities of their business since the core support functions would have been handled.

Better visibility

Basically, BPM uses advanced software programs to facilitate the automation process. These programs enable process owners to keep abreast of their performance. Apart from guaranteeing transparency, BPM keep track of how processes work without the need of monitoring techniques and extensive labor.

10. A closed-loop process is often used to optimize business performance. Briefly describe what a closed-loop process means.

A closed-loop process, also referred to as feedback control system is a management system that promotes a well-organized base of preferred outcomes and system feedback. This process is designed to achieve and maintain the desired output in comparison with the actual condition.

The More You Sweat, the Less You Bleed

The first time I saw this quote was in a Reebok ad. Since then, I’ve learned that it was taken from a statement attributed to George Patton: “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” That statement is far removed from the topic of this article, so let’s stick with the Reebok ad.

The meaning of the Reebok quote was clear: the harder we work in training, the less we suffer in performance, that is, on race day.

While athletes will see that as common sense, I’d like to take the concept a step further to food – and specifically to sugar addiction.

Recently, I was reminded of how true the statement is when a man at work was eating cookies after his lunch. Someone else at work warned him not eat them in front of me, but the cookie guy confidently replied, “Joan doesn’t care.”

How Great Is It Not to Care?!

He was absolutely right. That made me think about how fortunate I am to have gone through whatever struggle was associated with my sugar journey – because I now have the ability not to care what other people eat, no matter what it is and even if it’s right in front of me.

Last holiday season, a different man at work was deliberately eating – in front of me – some cookies made by a woman on the staff. He was trying to eat them in a way that would tempt me – closing his eyes and making noises of pleasure as he ate each bite, and so on.

I’ve told that story to a few of my clients, and they react strongly to it. Perhaps they’re imagining how difficult it would have been for them, or maybe they’re thinking he was acting kinda jerky. But what the cookie monster in the story didn’t realize was, “Joan doesn’t care.”

How Tough Is It to Get There?

Working through a sugar addiction and quitting the stuff takes less time than people think. If you do it the right way, you can be through it in under a week.

Of course, if you want permanent results, it doesn’t end there. It’s necessary to eat differently, to deal with the cravings that will come up fairly frequently at first, and to stick with the new food plan so the cravings diminish and finally stop.

That’s the key point – the cravings stop.

Eventually, you reach the point of not caring what others eat or don’t eat. Call me a bad mother, but I don’t even notice what people eat unless someone goes out of his way to make noises.

Truth? I almost felt sorry for that guy. He was intentionally being mean (considering what he was trying to do) but had no idea how little it would affect me.

To me, cookies aren’t food. I don’t see them as temptations. I ignored two boxes of them sitting for weeks on the desk right next to me without a care. And just so you know, I used to love cookies. And brownies. And cakes, and ice cream, and fudge, and more.

I don’t bleed on race day – and every day is actually race day – because I was willing to sweat for a short time in training. That’s true freedom from sugar. And it’s there for you.

Structure SEO-Friendly URLs For Your Website With These Simple Tips

Website URLs are one of the most common elements of a successful website that have to be SEO-friendly to deliver the desired results. URLs are basically your web address, which helps the visitors to find you over the internet or intranet. Structuring them seems easy, but it is not actually because you have to act smartly to make it simple yet pronounceable, so, your visitors can easily remember them for their next visit. There are a number of things you need to keep in mind while doing so, and if you are new to it and confuse what exactly to take into consideration, the tips mentioned below are for you. Take a look for more details.

  • Use Simple Words: While constructing your website structure makes sure you use simple words that are very easy to remember. It helps the search engines as well as users to reach your website in an easy manner. Simplicity has its own beauty; so, try to make it as simple as possible to keep it in the mind of the visitors for a longer period.
  • Clean Away The Codes: Another important thing to keep in mind while creating URLs for your website is that if there is any inner page or any other page, so, make sure, it also contains simple words and not the codes, which are hard to remember and make it look like a mess. Cleaning such codes away from your web address makes it look attractive and well-structured, which easily capture the visitor’s attention.
  • Add The Keyword Smartly: Keyword is crucial to optimize your website for search engines and you can use one of your important keywords while structuring your URLs. This may help the search engines to easily crawl your website and make them look more attractive.
  • Keep It Simple, Short And Sweet: Keeping the URLs simple, short and sweet helps the reader to save it in their memory for next time, which automatically increase your credibility and helps you earn more in all good ways.
  • Use Hyphens To Separate Words: The use of hyphens is important not only for the readers, but for the search engines as well. These are treated as space to separate words. On the other hand, the use of underscore is restricted in URLs as per the Google because they are considered as one word.

These simple tips make it easier for you to structure SEO-friendly URLs for your website that ensure better ranking and results.

Store Your Nuts The Right Way To Keep Them Fresh And Tasty

Nuts like Almonds, Cashew, Walnuts are very much good of our health, as they are loaded with a number of Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and other nutrients your body requires. Choosing the best of its quality is important to reap their real benefits for your good health and not only buying, but preserving them for a longer period is also important. Storing them is the main concern most of the people face and if you also don’t know how to preserve it the right way, so, here we are with some of our tips. Take a look and store your nuts the right way without affecting their freshness and taste.

  • Keep It In Cool And Dry Condition: One of the important things you need to keep in mind to store the nuts right way is, always keep them in cool and dry conditions. They get damaged when easily get in touch with the moisture, so, always keep them in an air-tight container in cool and dry conditions to ensure their long shelf life and preserve their taste.
  • Never Leave Them Open: If you leave your nuts open, so, they easily absorb the odor of the material around them and get damaged in most of the conditions, therefore, it is important to store them in air-tight containers.
  • Keep Them In Freezer: Whether you accept it or not, but is a true fact that nuts, especially almonds if stored in the freezer or refrigerator, so they can remain as it is up to a year. Freezing won’t let them lose their taste and keep them fresh for a longer period.
  • Keep Them Away From Humid Conditions: Humidity is the true killer of nuts; they affect not only their life but taste as well. Therefore, you shouldn’t keep them in a humid atmosphere to preserve their freshness and delightful taste.
  • Seal The Bag: If you buy roasted nuts, so, you have to keep them away from coming in contact with the oxygen, therefore, it is advisable to keep them in vacuum bags or seal them properly to secure their shelf life.

These are some of the easy and common tips that help you store nuts in a better way that too for a longer period. So, the next time, don’t panic if you buy nuts in bulk quantity, as now you know the right way to store them correctly. You can even ask the dry fruits manufacturers from where you buy the nuts; they may surely provide such suggestion to you.

How to Select a Reputable Pet Store

Pet stores are one-stop shops for purchasing a dog, cat, fish, bird, or a smaller animal – plus their food, treats, toys, and supplies. When choosing a shop, animal lovers should be sure it matches up with their specific needs. They should take some time to research local retailers in the area with positive reviews. Additionally, here are a few features to consider in the search for a satisfactory pet store.

Adoption Conditions and Available Services

Pet stores vary in size and products offered. Some may only sell items for small animals like gerbils, lizards, birds, and fish. Check out websites of the companies of interest and call them with specific questions before making the trip. If a pet requires a specific brand of food, especially one recommended by a veterinarian, does the store carry it? Can they order it? If not, move on to other options.

Appearance of Animals

A high-quality pet store should place a premium on keeping its animals healthy, alert, and happy. When walking through the store, do the animals look clean, well fed, active, and enthusiastic? When looking to adopt, the environment must be spacious, clean, and free of odors. None of the living areas should be constrictive or overcrowded; all dogs or cats should be living in a roomy, hygienic, healthy area. Before purchasing a four-legged friend, confirm that it is free of any disease or other health problems.

Friendly, Informative Staff Members

The services provided by the company’s owners and staff members should be gracious and informative. Guests should be greeted by friendly, knowledgeable employees who are there to help and answer questions. They should be prepared to answer any questions about the animals available for adoption or the status of current pets. At the same time, the employees must be able to recognize that when a guest’s pet is sick or injured, they should be talking to a veterinarian or medical professional.

A Local Shop That Cares

Investing in a local retailer that is in the neighborhood is an investment in the community and a convenient solution. Going to a local source for supplies makes it easier to stay stocked on essentials like food, hygiene products, and training tools. In addition to convenience, a good store should be cost-effective. Find a business that sells quality items at competitive prices.

Selecting a pet store doesn’t have to be an exhaustive, time-consuming process. Look for one that is clean and bright, demonstrates clear affection and in-depth knowledge of its animals, and offers a variety of products and services.

Best Accounts Payable Processing Practices

When it comes to working in accounts payable, there are a dozen things that can happen to cause a good day to become a bad one – and these things are often actions that took but a second or two to happen. These mistakes often occur not because of a lack of training or due to faulty practices but often because people are unaware of ways to improve the work situation.

Thankfully, there are many actions that can be taken to ensure that your business is using the best accounts payable processing practices available. By doing this, you can minimize the risk and exposure that result from not having a totally secure system and effective recovery process. While there are many different steps you can take, one of the most important things is that you track a number of elements in the accounts payable processing department.

· Keep up with the number of invoices that come into the accounts payable department in given period of time. The larger your company the more of these there will be. Tracking these will give you a baseline and make it easier to track other items within your department.

· How many invoices are processes as a percentage of the total number of invoices during a specific amount of time. Tracking this helps measure how effectively and efficiently your department is getting the work done. If you feel that the work being done is not enough, then sit back and determine what can be done to make your department more efficient.

· Pay attention to the rate of wrong payments as a percentage of total payments. You need to be aware of any over or under charges. Using a HER program can minimize occurrences such as these.

· Figure out how much it is costing you per invoice processed. Be sure to note things such as software costs, IT support, hardware, and any other types of overhead. There are a number tools that can help you be effective and yet still keep the bottom line in the black.

· Track how many invoices are electronic versus paper. It is cheaper to process an electronic invoice than a paper one. In addition, the electronic invoices require less time to process. Hence, the more electronic processing and information storage is a better way to improve your budget and work efficiency.

Having the best accounts payable processing steps in place, you can be certain that you are doing all you can to protect your business. Talk to a team of business management specialist and learn how you can begin to better protect your company.