Halal meat for Muslims has been readily available in the UK for years, but now a business woman has gone a step further by launching a range of halal make-up. The cosmetics – which includes everything from lipstick to eyeliner and blusher – are made in strict accordance with Islamic law, using plant extracts and minerals instead of alcohol and animal products.

The business was started by a muslim lady named Samina Akhter living in the UK. Samina, who runs the business from her home in Birmingham, started importing the make-up from Australia six months ago.  She now has more than 500 customers as well as interest from America and Indonesia. The cosmetics are shipped in from Australia and certified by the independent Halal Certification Authority Australia. Prices range from lipsticks for £8 to full make-up packs for £65.

Samina Pure make-up is the first company in the UK to sell halal certified make-up however I think Annita Roddick of The Body Shop got in first with the animal-friendly cosmetic range…

Maybe this has slipped the minds of a few American executives – but this tragedy in India at the hands of American Gas giant Union Carbide rates as the worst industrial catastrophe of all time. While Obama calls for British heads to roll over the BP oil spill, let’s revisit a few facts that he might do well to consider…

11 people killed in accident on oil rig leased by British company BP, resulting in 4 presidential visits, a $1.6bn clean-up bill and the establishment of a $20bn compensation fund in 2 months.

15,000+ people killed in accident at Indian Bhopal plant owned by American company Union Carbide, resulting in O presidential visits, O clean-up bill and just $470m compensation in 25 years.

Now, shall we say Pot. Kettle. Black…?

EU nationals have the right of ‘freedom of movement’ which allows them to move to, and work in, any country within the European Union – the UK by far is the most popular choice for them to make. The benefits system is favourable to them as they have the same rights to welfare benefits and free healthcare as a British person but without the requirement to have paid tax and contributions. This has to be addressed so that the UK comes into line with other EU countries like France and Spain who require ALL citizens to have paid social contributions for FIVE YEARS before any claim to benefits can be made. The UK system is too lax, too generous and too open to abuse.

Many of the EU nationals arriving have very poor English language skills, are very often employed before a British worker at minimum rates (stay in any hotel around the UK and you will almost certainly be met at reception or have your room cleaned by eastern Europeans), the NHS has a dire problem in that it has employed thousands of non-english speaking staff from EU and non-EU countries…why? add to this the desperate situation since Romania was accepted into the EU and the crime wave that has resulted since their gypsie population have set up shop in the UK and are now running child-beggar syndicates. Here in Northern Ireland it is commonplace now to be accosted by Roma women begging (above) for change outside shops, ATM’s and in carparks. EU nationals coming here cost the British taxpayer millions of pounds in social welfare (housing, healthcare, child benefit…) whereas non-EU migrants almost always have to work and pay tax…so who is more beneficial to the UK?

EU nationals are not counted as migrants owing to the freedom of movement policy, they are not counted ‘in’ and they are not counted ‘out’ when they leave so statistics counting them are often conservative. As it stands for example, a well qualified Australian or New Zealand citizen – Commonwealth citizens no less – will find it extremely difficult in the future to secure a working visa to come to the UK whereas illiterate, poorly-skilled Polish, Slovakians, Romanians will be able to enter the UK, and work, at will. Is this really what is best for the UK…? by all means cap migration for a period but by the same token measures MUST be taken to make the UK a far less lucrative option for those coming here from impoverished EU nations simply to take advantage of a welfare system British taxpayers work hard to finance. The UK cannot afford it any longer, regardless of anyone’s right to be here.

Depending on what kind of site you host you can either make a nice amount of money doing this or you will find, like us, that it really is not worth the trouble. One of our sites still has the Amazon feature but I’d say we have made about $2.00 from it over five years.

Business Phone Systems: PBX, IP and Everything In-between

Most businesses have a phone system these days and words like ‘PBX’ and ‘IP Telephony’ are often bandied around as an ingrained part of business conversation, yet what exactly is a phone system? How does an IP PBX differ from a PBX? And how can a phone system benefit your business in discernable ways? This article will answer all these questions and more and leave you with a workable knowledge of business phone systems.

What is a Phone System?

To properly understand the differences between phone systems, a basic knowledge of what a telephone system is needs to be attained. A phone system acts as an exchange that allows people to communicate both internally and externally. Rather than each phone having a separate line to the Public Telephone Network (PTN), a phone system enables your business to connect all phones, using a limited number of lines.

As well as placing and receiving internal and external calls, phone systems also employ certain basic features designed for business – these will be discussed further on.

PBX Phone Systems

Let us first explain the acronym so as to avoid confusion – PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange. A PBX phone system consists of internal and external phone lines, a console and a computer server. The PBX is a switching system used to manage internal calls and provide external lines to internal phones when needed. Distinguishing itself from the Public Telephone Network though, PBX phone systems can route incoming calls to extensions and connect calls to answering services as well as other more business-specific features that are the trademark of phone systems and which we shall come to later.

IP PBX Phone Systems

An IP (Internet Protocol) PBX does the same thing as an ordinary PBX except it is designed to deliver voice (VoIP) or video over a data network and interoperate with the normal Public Telephone Network. IP PBXs can be either hardware or software based and can provide more advanced functions than ordinary PBXs by integrating with computer systems.

PBX and IP PBX phone systems are not the only business phone systems available, however they act as a standard around which other phone systems are based and are the most widely used phone systems in the business arena.

Phone System Basic Features

Phone systems all share a common set of features that make businesses more efficient – after all, time is money. These features include:

Call Conferencing – the ability to share a phone call between more than two people which can save time and travel

Call Hold – an important feature for business phones – on-hold music or messaging can be added

Call Routing – saves time by routing calls to the right internal extension

Voicemail – one of the most important business telephone system functions. Voicemails can be accessed by individuals or departments and can be also be forwarded

Auto-Attendant – this feature is well used especially with small phone systems as it negates the need for a secretary

These features as stated before, are common to all phone systems. Different types of phone systems however can have different features and as IP phone systems are becoming ever more popular, it is worth noting a few of the extra features that they can provide for your business:

Click-to-Call – uses computer-telephony integration (CTI) so you can simply click on the screen to call

Call Logging and Tracking – this feature is useful to find out call history and other information

Call Screening – allows you to see who is calling before you answer

Benefits of a Business Phone System

A common misconception is that you have to be a multi-national, filthy-rich corporation to have an advanced phone system but that is not the case. Many small and medium businesses have small phone systems that cost little and save them money. A VoIP phone system can seriously reduce costs for instance – calls can be routed over the internet rather than the Public Telephone Network, eradicating almost all call charges. Many businesses also bypass the cost of hiring a secretary by using an auto-attendant instead.

Certain features on a phone system can create the right impression with customers too. On hold messages and on hold music in particular can make a business seem more professional, as first impressions do go a long way.

Many businesses find that a phone system increases efficiency and functionality. For example, phone conferencing can reduce time spent in business travel, speed dial and click-to-call can also reduce time spent looking up phone numbers and voicemail is much more efficient than an answering machine. In the fast-paced world of business, the utilisation of time-saving and efficient tools can often be the difference between a good business and a mediocre business.

Phone Systems – Communication is the Key

Business phone systems then are exchanges that allow people to communicate internally and externally via the Public Telephone Network. Phone systems can come in many different versions with the most popular being the standard PBX and IP PBX phone systems. Phone systems are characterised by bespoke business features common to all phone systems and they can save businesses money as well as making them run more efficiently. Phone systems are becoming one of the essential tools of business now – communication is the key no matter what business you are in and business phone systems undoubtedly broaden communication horizons.

He apparently demanded ‘a compromise from everyone to support Greece, otherwise France will have to reconsider its position on the euro’. Sarkozy, who is of Greek ancestry on his mother’s side, added: ‘If at a time like this, with everything that is happening, Europe is not capable of a united response, then the euro makes no sense.’ News of the fissures in the EU’s apparently united front against the Greek crisis escalated the turmoil gripping financial markets. Some £44billion was wiped off the value of Britain’s biggest companies after the FTSE 100 fell 171 points or 3.1 per cent to 5,263. The euro fell to a 19-month low of $1.2365.

Investors were also spooked by news that Spain, which is one of the Europe’s most indebted nations, has fallen into deflation.

You get the right to utilise all these services so long as you get out, find a job and pay taxes like the rest of us. No doubt employment and immigration are the two main issues in this election and the choice we make at the polls on Thursday will make a huge difference over the following decade. Choose Labour or Lib Dems and the ordinary British person can simply stand back and watch as his/her nation becomes another altogether. Will the last people out of Poland and Afghanistan turn out the lights please…?

The choice is not brilliant but out of a bad bunch I am pinning my hopes on David Cameron to regain Great Britain for the British.

The restaurant’s manager refused to provide the water gratuit and the party left the restaurant without leaving a tip. Now the restaurant’s owners now risk finding themselves in breach of new legislation, brought in just a week ago, which makes it an offence for alcohol retailers to turn down customers who ask for a glass of tap water free of charge. Refusal has been made punishable by a fine of up to £20,000, six months in prison or the drinks licence being revoked.

The move is part of the phased introduction of new laws to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder.

Figures suggest that an extraordinary 98.5 per cent of the 1.67million new posts were taken by immigrants. The Tories have seized on this revelation as evidence that the Government has totally failed to deliver its pledge of ‘British jobs for British workers’. The Shadow immigration minister Damian Green revealed unpublished figures showing there are almost 730,000 fewer British-born workers in the private sector than in 1997. If you want to doubt this then simply book into a hotel in and around London where you almost certainly be met with Polish staff – this is also the situation elsewhere around the UK.

There were 23.8million British-born workers in employment at the end of last year, just 25,000 more than when Labour came to power. In the private sector, the number of British workers has actually fallen. The number of posts for people of working age has increased since 1997 by over 500,000, to 20.5million.

But the number of British-born workers in the private sector has slumped by 726,000, from 18.4million to 17.7million.

Cult status Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB to win

After the release of iPhone 3GS there are so many app available on the internet, some are paid one and some are free. 

Win now the fastest and most efficient iPhone 3GS 16GB! Voice recognition, Video, 3 megapixel camera and a digital compass are just some of the technical innovations. The famous features from the previous version such as the unique design with multi touch display, iPod, telephone and internet are still available. Personalise your iPhone and choose from over 10′000 apps. Your friends will be envious of the new iPhone 3GS which has achieved a cult status already!

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