Wednesday 27 January 2010

Qualifications And Attributes Needed To Become An Undertaker

By Marjorie Wong

Undertakers, also known as Funeral Directors, are experts who manage activities and ceremonies associated with funerals. To be successful in this profession the person performing these tasks must have certain essential and unique skills and attributes.

Since an undertaker may be required at any time of day or night, the person venturing into this profession must be willing to be on call for 24 hours. He should be ready to work away from his workplace as the task requires him to be available at the place where his services are required.

To become an undertaker, a person must be able to communicate well and should accommodate the viewpoints of others. He should be able to manage and communicate with people of all ages and people having various social and ethnic backgrounds. Understanding and sympathy will be of great importance in the course of his job. As an undertaker, he is also expected to counsel the family in time of grief, and he must not allow distress or sorrow to cloud his abilities.

Undertakers must be serious and dignified by nature, but should not look sad or morose, as this may intensify the grief of the family and friends of the deceased person.

By nature, undertakers must be broad minded. They should be ready to respect the faith and beliefs of all communities and must be knowledgeable in this area. They must also be familiar with the funeral rites and customs of burial of different sects.

Excellent management and the ability to organise are essential skills an undertaker should possess. Making preparations for critical services like flowers, hearse etc will entail coordination with many providers and will need leadership and guidance skills.

An undertaker should be proficient in legal matters and must know the legal formalities to be followed, or the necessary approvals required from the State authorities before conducting funeral services. He will need to be fully aware of procedures to be followed for the purpose of collecting death certificates or insurance payments.

Lastly, an undertaker should know how to drive and should possess an appropriate driving license, as he may have to drive vehicles to transport the deceased.

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How The Carbon Credits Trading Works And Its Effectiveness

By John Paul Morgan

The terms carbon trading and carbon credits are used in conferences about global warming everywhere, but not everyone comprehends what is meant by these words. In the carbon trading system, industries have to stick to the emission caps of greenhouse gases as fixed by the Kyoto Protocol that decides and allocates these limits across nations to encourage regulated emissions or discourage carbon-centric methods of operating industries.

Governments and industries in many countries are permitted a particular number of carbon credits, providing them with the right to release a restricted amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. One carbon credit amounts to one ton of carbon dioxide released in the environment. This basically entails that high-emission industries can buy carbon credits from low-emission industries, thereby keeping the total global emissions within the stipulated cap.

This system makes corporations pay a penalty for greenhouse gas emissions that go beyond reasonable limits, and this penalty on them is implemented by making purchase of carbon credits compulsory for them. However, this is a reciprocal trade where selling and purchasing of carbon credits are done simultaneously by low and high emission companies. Hence the economy as a whole does not get affected at all, while organizations with environment friendly mechanisms make more profits. This makes organizations shift away from the carbon-intensive methods of manufacturing, and so the emission levels fall.

A firm - big or small- that timely opts for a cleaner and greener approach to operating business is certain to be rewarded as carbon credits are traded on the open bourses and can be bought or sold by anyone. The trading mechanism implies that the benefits to greener organizations are immediate and huge. Moreover, country-wise allocation of limits makes national governments more actively encourage local companies to decrease emissions. This in turn enhances the government's image and makes it proactively work towards environment protection, something that is immensely efficacious in promoting eco-friendly technologies.

Other options like carbon tax are also in place in some countries of the world, which brings to book high emission industries rather than financially incentivising the low emission ones. The efficacy of such schemes is still a matter of debate.

Till now no other system has been able to efficiently handle the issue of carbon emissions in a better way than carbon trading. The efficacy of the system is clear from the unparalleled increase in the carbon trading market witnessed in the last few years.

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Factors That Make A Well Secured Self Storage Facility

By Samuel Rodriguez

Frequently, people worry that their household items and personal belongings may be subject to theft in a self storage facility. But you don't have to worry about this due to the level of security provided by self storage companies!

Following are a few things you want to be sure of regarding security before engaging a self-storage company:

Alarms - they should have an alarm as well as security guards and the neighborhood police should be watching. There should be alarms on your unit and the whole area also. With this system installed, any nuisance inside the storage premises is easily noticeable.

Smoke alarms - this is necessary for self storage units since surprise accidents can be avoided. Almost every self storage place does not allow smoking because of the fire risk.

Limited access that functions by demanding all visitors sign their name when they come and go before they can enter the storage facility or actually use a key.

CCTV surveillance cameras that are watched all day. Continuous guarding of the interiors of a warehouse is possible through this system, which can effectively prevent any act of theft or burglary inside the premises.

You should be the only individual who is given a key-code or swipe card to gain entrance to your unit. No one should be allowed in without prior permission from you first. Such facilities are ideal for those who desire to store high worth or secret items.

Is there a guard on duty 24 hours a day?

A reinforced unit will be better at preventing theft.

There are several other groundbreaking technologies being utilized by storage firms for better and more secure storage, with their necessity in the industry growing rapidly. This is ensuring full safety and security of your valuable items at affordable costs.

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Ecofriendly Design & Construction: Improving Home Design

By Adriana Noton

The way that buildings are designed and constructed has much to do with how much water and energy they use. Thus, utilizing ecofriendly design & construction can minimize a house's effect on the environment and can make it eco-friendly. Designing homes to be sustainable can significantly help the environment. Proper architectural drawings are needed.

The way that a building is shaded can significantly affect its energy usage. If a house is faced north, it can have maximum shading during summer and more sunlight during winter. Also, utilizing shades over windows can help keep heat and glare from coming into a home. This can reduce the energy used for heating and cooling a house, as the home will have a more stable temperature. Drafting can help reduce temperatures during summer.

If you use solar panels for your home's energy source you can significantly reduce your impact on the environment. Solar power does not create harmful emissions and it is entirely sustainable. There are ways to utilize both solar power and other forms of energy so that a home has power throughout the year.

Certain new types of windows help to trap heat either inside or outside of a building. These heat-trapping windows use a new type of glazing that traps heat, which can also reduce a house's natural heat in the summer and increase it in the winter. If these windows are sealed correctly they can greatly reduce energy costs, as alternative sources of heat or cold air do not need to be used as much.

Every eco-friendly building should have water-efficient appliances. While these appliances have been somewhat faulty in the past, they are now much more effective. Today water-efficient shower heads work very well and provide good water pressure, and low gallon-per-flush toilets do not have to be flushed twice, as they did in the past.

In a house, insulation serves a purpose similar to heat-trapping windows. It keeps a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer by keeping outdoor weather from seeping into the house. Without insulation a home is prone to the elements, which can significantly drive up energy costs for heating and cooling. Thus, insulation is a great investment for an eco-friendly development.

Xeriscaping is a type of landscaping that should be used for every new, eco-friendly garden. It utilizes plants that are appropriate for the region. This means that they work well with their natural surroundings. Also, plants used for xeriscaping are often plants that do not need much water. Traditional lawns are rarely part of xeriscaped gardens, as they are very "thirsty." If a home must have a lawn, native grasses that require less water should be chosen above non-native grasses.

Lastly, rainwater harvesting should be utilized. This process involves capturing water in a tank; the water can then be used for gardening. This water is perfectly safe for gardening because gardens do not need fresh, clean water like humans do. By using this technique, a significant amount of water can be saved. Rainwater tanks are a great investment because once you have one, the water that is collected is convenient to use and does not cost you anything.

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Learn to Write Poetry

By Dynal Thompson

The most popular style of our time is the 'free verse' style. This form originated in the late 19th century, with Walt Whitman being credited for it. Before this form was introduced, poetry was restricted to certain form.

Formal poetry generally follows a set pattern, in rhyme and meter. We commonly place a letter at the end of the last word in each line. Analyzing these patterns is called scansion.

For example if the first two line rhyme with each other, their letters would be AA. If the second set of lines rhyme with each other the rhyme pattern would be AABB. If the fifth line doesn't rhyme a C would be introduced and so on.

The number of beats in each line is called the meter. "Iambic pentameter" is the most commonly used. Words with this type of beat consist of a short pulse followed by a strong pulse. Examples would be arrest, domain, forsooth, etc. The accent is on the second syllable.

OK, enough rules and on to the fun stuff. What do you start with when you tell stories or write letters? Do you begin with something you overheard? Witnessed? Read About? Start with what you are comfortable with, that's the best way to start.

What kind of poem are you going to write? Would you like to do a character study or a story? The best thing to do is go through some examples. This will give you some ideas. Don't worry if you get a "writer's block." The best way to get past it is to take a break and come back the next day. Keep a pen and paper with you, something may come to you if your out.

Good poems take weeks and sometimes months to come up with. Don't rush it. If your stuck, take a break for a few days and come back. Don't re-read the entire draft, simply begin with the last line in your poem. You can surprise yourself.

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