All Posts in "Month: May 2019"

The most expensive jeans in the world

Jeans have a very humble origin, starting out as trousers worn by laborers and workers. It didn’t take long for them to become subject to the whims of fashion and trends, becoming more ornamental even as early as 1935, when people began practicing the distressing of their jeans to make them look more fashionable. Jeans have never lost their appeal and remain as popular as ever. It should also come as no surprise that some of these jeans are becoming increasingly expensive. Here are some of the priciest jeans in the world:

APO Jeans

At $4000 a pair, you’d be expecting something a little bit special. Many of APO’s jeans do indeed sell for a whopping $4000 per pair because they are customized to suit the individual customer’s requirements. However, that’s not all you’re paying for as APO Jeans like to include some pretty expensive material when they make their jeans. They use the finest denim, make the pockets from silk and the rivets can be made from gold, platinum or silver! You even choose a diamond for the button. The jeans come with a certificate of authenticity to prove the use of such precious materials.

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Escada Custom Made Jeans

Like the jeans from APO, Escada jeans offer a custom-made service at a cost of around $10,000 for top-end customization. If a customer wants a personalized embroidered pattern, they can have whatever they like as long as they are prepared to pay for it. Whilst there are different price ranges to suit a variety of budgets, Escada jeans make this list because they once completed an order for jeans encrusted with Swarovski crystals that cost $10,000. Don’t worry though, as you can get your hands on an exquisite pair of designer jeans for a lot less than these. Check out the Mens Farah Jeans at https://www.ejmenswear.com/men/farah/jeans

Levi’s

What started life as a pair of trousers designed for a laborer, Levi Strauss & Co. are seen as the father of the jean’s phenomenon. For that reason, they can command huge price tags because of the history attached to them. For example, jeans from the 19th century are sold for large amounts at auctions. Original Levi Jeans that have stood the test of time can fetch up to $60,000.

Dussault Apparel

The Trashed Denim jeans from this brand can set you back a cool quarter of a million dollars. Each pair of their jeans has been washed no less than 13 times before even more processing to give them that iconic distressed appearance. The treatment doesn’t stop there, however, as each pair is then decorated with one diamond and two rubies and detailing in white and rose gold. It’s not the denim you’re paying for but the precious metal and gems!

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Secret Circus

A pair of these jeans smashes the one million mark at $1.3 million and are available in a range of patterns. Each pair has a pattern sewn into the rear pockets using a number of top-quality diamonds. They look good, yes but whether they are worth the hefty price tag is a matter of opinion.

 

admin by — May 31, 2019 in Lifestyle
What Is Mobile Home Insurance?

Mobile home insurance is very similar to an insurance policy for homeowners in that it gives financial protection should your home be damaged. Although it is not necessary to obtain such a policy by law, communities within the mobile home sector and mortgage companies often require that coverage be purchased.

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Policies usually protect personal belongings and your home. They also offer liability coverage. Prices can vary greatly, so it is a good idea to get lots of different quotes in order to find reasonably priced mobile home insurance.

Is Mobile Home Insurance Needed?

As it is thought that the current answer to the homeless crisis could be the installation of park homes, more and more people may, therefore, be considering whether mobile home insurance is necessary.

Although mobile home insurance is not necessary by law, parks containing mobile homes usually require some proof that insurance has been obtained. Therefore, anybody who wishes to have their home within a park for mobile homes will need to obtain insurance.

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What Is Covered by Mobile Home Insurance?

Mobile home insurance covers the belongings and home of the policyholder. It also includes protection for liability. Most providers are agreeable to policyholders customizing their policies via endorsements. They are supplemental to the standard policy. Endorsements can give coverage that will not come as standard in an insurance policy for homeowners, such as removal of debris or water damage caused by sewers.

As manufactured homes can be susceptible to fire damage, some companies do not include fire damage for policies taken out within regions that are considered to be of high risk.

As with all documents, it is always a wise idea to scrutinize all the details of the policy so you have a very clear idea of what is and what is not covered.

For those considering park homes, Gloucestershire has a lot of options. You can find many Gloucester park homes for sale.

Older Mobile Homes

It is hard to obtain insurance for mobile homes that are older, as mobile homes that are built prior to 1976 did not have regulated building standards. It is still possible, however, for homeowners wishing to obtain such insurance to get in touch with an independent agent who should hopefully be able to assist.

 

admin by — May 30, 2019 in Finance
The bronze bust of a musical visionary

If you were ever inclined to make an award for the best position of where a bronze bust was placed then surely the one of Sir Henry Wood would be a front runner. Wood, along with the concert impresario Robert Newman, made the “The Proms” what they are today and brought classical music and it’s appreciation into the twentieth century and beyond. It is perfectly fitting then that his Bronze bust sits in front of the organ of the Royal Albert Hall so that he can “hear” the glory of the Proms and the other concerts that occur there. A Bronze piece of art is a great investment to have and there are many great examples of the work such as a Horse Sculpture. A visit to www.gillparker.com/will gives you plenty of ideas and inspiration.

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Sir Henry was not born into a rich family, in fact, they were of quite modest means his Father being a small jeweler and optician and prior to that a pawnbroker. However, the senior Woods were keen musicians, his Father could play the cello and sang tenor for the local operatic society and his mother was a pianist and singer too. The young Wood was regaled with Welsh native songs by her and when they saw that there Son was gifted musically they actively encouraged him to pursue it. With the considerable purchase of a piano that he was taught to play by his, Mother Wood was also given lessons in the playing of both the Violin and the Viola.

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His first gig was playing the organ at St Mary Aldermanbury where he was paid half a crown (about 75p) to entertain the congregation. Ironically it was not the only place he played in that was subsequently destroyed by the Blitz of the Second World War. He was also asked to play in an exhibition in Kensington and after school, he attended the Royal Academy of Music studying the art of singing. He was not a success and was told he had a “conductor’s voice” so decide to teach it instead on his departure.

He found a love of opera and was a huge fan of Gilbert and Sullivan who were combining the art of the operatic style with the drama and comedy of the stage to reinvent it. He started to conduct for companies and got his first big break conducting Tchaikovsky’s work but the run fell through and it seemed that singing lessons would be his lot.

However, Robert Newman asked him to front a season of Promenade music he was planning over the summer months with a view to making it an annual fixture. The easy-going nature of the Proms appealed to Wood and he accepted.  Together they built the Proms up to the level it is today albeit weathering two world wars, the bombing of the Proms “home” the Queens Hall and a move to the Royal Albert Hall and Newman’s bankruptcy.

 

admin by — May 29, 2019 in Entertainment
What are isocyanates?

While many people have probably heard of polyurethane, they may not be aware of isocyanates. Isocyanates are used as one of the raw materials when producing polyurethane and are a component in varnishes, paints, and adhesives.

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Formation and characteristics

The isocyanate molecule will include nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen as a group of atoms in what is referred to as an alkyl chain or sometimes as an aromatic ring. Isocyanates can be mono, double or more depending on how many aromatic rings they have. The most popular tend to be diisocyanates, which feature two active alkyd groups. Polyurethane is generated when a diisocyanate is combined with another substance, called a polyol, that has active hydroxyl groups.

Working with isocyanates

Isocyanates are versatile, as they occur in powder and liquid form. Certain precautions need to be taken when working with liquid isocyanates, as they can give off vapors that should not be inhaled. Preventative measures need to be implemented when working with these substances to avoid damage to human health and the environment. An article in the Guardian explains more about the dangers of toxic chemical fumes.

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There are ways of making isocyanates safer to work with, which include making them less reactive and volatile. The main ways of doing this are by a process of blocking the isocyanates or pre-polymerising them, meaning that larger and easier to handle molecules are generated.

Polyurethane and isocyanates are very useful compounds, especially when it comes to making metal bonding adhesives. Polyurethane is also used in many other types of adhesive where a strong and lasting bond is required. This will be effective on a wide range of materials, depending on the precise composition of the adhesive. If you want to discover more about the specifics of metal bonding adhesives, a useful starting point would be to contact a reputable metal bonding adhesives supplier to obtain advice about the best products to use in particular circumstances.

Isocyanates have wide applications in the industrial world. As a fundamental component of polyurethane, they are incredibly useful and their versatility means a huge range of products, including adhesives, can be manufactured using them. While some precautions need to be adopted when working with these compounds, the end results make modern life easier by providing a range of sought-after solutions.

admin by — May 27, 2019 in General
Buy-to-Let Lenders Crack Down on Landlords Suspected of Tax Avoidance

With the latest government tightening of tax rules for buy-to-let investors, it is surprising that there are still people willing to put their money into real estate. In the tax year 2019/20, mortgage interest payments relief against rental income had been reduced to 25%. Come 2020/21, that relief disappears and will be replaced by a 20% tax credit which may adversely affect profits of many landlords.

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The Bug-Bear for Mortgage Lenders

There’s general talk in the industry of mortgage lenders declining loans to landlords who could be breaking HMRC’s anti-avoidance rules. The problem starts when a landlord decides that to make the most of his investment he should transfer ownership of his buy-to-let into a limited company. The advantage of rental income earned by a company is immediate. All mortgage interest, repairs, and maintenance, managing agent fees and outlay for property inventory software are tax deductible in one form or another. However, mortgage lenders, despite charging higher fees and interest rates on buy-to-let mortgages, regard these beneficial interest mortgages with alarm – basically because most prefer dealing with individuals who they can see rather than a company with shareholders who have the advantage of hiding behind the corporate veil.

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Negotiating the Mechanics of a Transfer

This is a minefield and not for the faint-hearted. Professional tax/legal advisers must be consulted. We’re talking here of possible Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax, Corporation Tax, Income Tax, and even National Insurance if you make yourself an employee. At first, glance, applying for and obtaining a Capital Gains Tax rollover relief when transferring the property into a company would be the ideal. However, get it wrong and you might end up fighting your case in court.

Business Tools to Manage Your Portfolio

As with any well-run business, investing in property investment software is vital to keep track of everything you own. If you think this is a step too far for you, consider which businesses would use property inventory software and the benefits thereof. Tenants, lease records, contracts, communication history, repairs and maintenance requests, late-payment records, inventories with photos and on-site property inspection records can all be updated and accessed at the click of a button.

At the end of the day, the decision to incorporate is all down to careful tax planning – not tax avoidance.

admin by — May 24, 2019 in Business
22 centuries later: the new Silk Road opportunity

A new Silk Road that would connect Europe to China’s fast-growing market is being planned by some of the world’s largest trade and transportation organizations. Following the same route taken by Marco Polo when he established the original Silk Road during the Han Dynasty (207 BC to 220 AD), the 21st century Silk Road – enabled by modern navigational technology – is forecast to reduce freight times to days, rather than the weeks or months it can take goods to be transported by sea. This will be an interesting development in the transportation industry and may mean that Same Day Courier Slough businesses have access to a wider global transportation network.

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New Opportunities for Multinationals

The $1trillion’s worth of trade means plenty of opportunity for multinationals, explains John D. Schulz, contributing editor for Logistics Management magazine. In an article on the potential benefits of this new Silk Road, Schulz says that according to business executives and officials from the World Bank and the US Chamber of Commerce – who met at the end of April to discuss the project at a two-day forum held in Washington – the timescale for completion extends over the next decade. There has already been confirmed interest from a number of governments and businesses.

News of the new Silk Road comes at a time when ocean shipping has slowed down, reports Schulz, a possible result of a number of economic factors including the Syrian refugee crisis and recent terrorist attacks in Brussels and France.

But according to some experts, when troubled European economies begin to recover there could be considerable opportunities for the global community of multinational surface transportation providers.

Pallet Potential

A forum was organized by the US embassies to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey, and was the platform for introducing a number of projects and investments to US business leaders from multinational industries. According to Schulz, there were discussions about the benefits of greater cooperation, harmonizing trade and transit routes, and the importance of an integrated network of transit, logistics, and infrastructure. With pallets the number one choice for shipping and storage, however, there will undoubtedly be room for pallet providers to further the conversation on the immediate and long-term logistics of transporting goods and materials along the new Silk Road.

admin by — May 22, 2019 in General
Tips to successfully use metal to metal adhesives

Soldering or welding is not always an option for bonding two pieces of metal together, particularly for delicate or small projects, or when there isn’t the correct equipment or space available. Companies such as Armourgeddon Tank Driving who offer Tank Driving Days will be used to joining metal items together and may use metal adhesives along with other methods to ensure that their tanks are in the best working condition for members of the public to enjoy the day in and day out.

If you are looking to join together two pieces of metal we’ve got some tips on how you can successfully use metal to metal adhesives.

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Use the right adhesive

The first step to effectively bonding together the metal pieces is to use the right metal bonding adhesive for the job. One of the main forms is an epoxy, which is designed for where structural support is being provided by the metal. Other adhesives are commonly used for less critical projects – such as arts and crafts or jewelry making.

Clean the surface

The effectiveness of the adhesive can be reduced if there’s any dirt, grease, oil or other types of residue present on the surface. This will make it harder to create a strong bond, so it’s essential to clean both of the surfaces properly beforehand and then leave them to dry completely.

Create a grip

If you want to ensure that the metal bonding adhesive forms a very strong bond then you can create some texture on the surface of the metal to give it something to grip onto. It’s easy to do this by rubbing sandpaper across the surfaces so that they become rough and gritty.

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Follow the instructions

It is important to ensure that you read any instructions that come along with your chosen adhesive. These will let you know how long the glue will take to dry and if the adhesive needs to be combined with another element before using it.

One of the key benefits of a metal adhesive is that it can save you both time and money compared to other methods, for example, welding. However, not following the instructions correctly can mean you need to carry out the work again.

Apply pressure

The metal adhesive doesn’t just work like paper glue and you’ll need to use some pressure to ensure you get a strong enough bond. You can use a vice or clamp to keep them pressed together, which will encourage the adhesive to work.

 

admin by — May 19, 2019 in General
Why Must You Check Bonding and Earthing for Safety?

If there is a difference in electrical potential between one conductive surface and another, then an electromotive force exists. If you touch both, that EMF travels through you – with potentially damaging effects. Potential electrical discharges can also damage equipment or start a fire. Engineers that work in plumbing and for Gloucester Boiler Service companies such as http://www.hprservicesltd.com/gloucester-boilers/boiler-service-gloucester/ take many safety precautions to ensure that they are working in a safe environment and that where necessary the electrical supply to a particular appliance such as a boiler or particular area of the house is switched off before work begins.

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Electrical Bonding

Electrical bonding and earthing are both ways to address this danger. Bonding is the strategy of connecting components or surfaces together with a conductor so that no potential difference can arise between them. Earthing denotes the connection of the whole system to earth so charge can then drain away. It’s often used synonymously with “grounding”, although technically grounding can denote the neural pathway that returns current to the source. Wherever possible, Earth connections use green (or yellow and green) cabling, whereas in the technical sense grounding is often accomplished by a black one (never assume either is safe to touch when an appliance is connected).

Even the charge from an AA battery can damage electronics if it discharges incorrectly, although the current is not a direct threat to health. However, a shock from a car battery can be enough to kill. Any equipment for connection to the mains must be safely earthed. Bonding and earth connections are usually secured with metal grub screws, bolts, soldering or welding.

 

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Metal Bonding Adhesive

Most adhesives are insulators, but their use to create electrical connections is becoming more common due to the development of new conductive adhesives. These usually take the form of adhesive resins and pastes infused with conducting materials like silver or carbon fibers. Whilst these are already being successfully used in low voltage electronic circuits, metal bonding adhesive does not normally have the combination of conductivity and adhesive reliability to replace metal joints for safety-critical earthing, although they can add strength to them.

However whenever electricity is involved always be clear whether conductance or insulation is the quality you require and consult the supplier for advice. It is also common sense to use registered electricians for electrical repairs and household wiring.

Conductive adhesives are sometimes painted on the inner surface of insulating boxes. So used, they create a Faraday cage that contains electromagnetic radiation and inhibits discharges between internal and external components.

admin by — May 17, 2019 in General
Is your business equipped for out-of-hours telecoms?

To be competitive in the current market, businesses need to be at the forefront where technology is concerned. VoIP has numerous benefits, but it can also support your out-of-hours needs to keep your business productive and running seamlessly.

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The need for out-of-hours contact

Consumer need is evolving, and expectations are growing higher. The users of services and buyers of products expect they can interface with businesses anywhere, any time. Companies have to be able to respond flexibly and give consumers consistent support.

With ISDN and PTSN are being phased out as BT aims to switch their network off by 2025, businesses will have to find an IP alternative. It’s estimated that those using VoIP will reach 204.8 billion by 2020, and the benefits of such digital technology, including its use for out-of-hours support, makes it a popular choice for successful businesses.

How VoIP makes it possible

With VoIP systems, the staff is able to work more flexible, allowing them to access the system and work from any location at any time.

Enabling out-of-hours telecoms doesn’t need to come with a huge expense, either. VoIP is more cost-effective both in terms of initial set-up and maintenance, and when it comes to local and international call costs. Choose a reliable wholesale VoIP termination provider, like https://www.idtexpress.com/, to ensure you get full support and the best quality communications.

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VoIP systems have a range of versatile features, many of which can help when it comes to out-of-hours communications. You can set up out-of-hours routing for times when the business is closed, whether that’s regular weekends or ad-hoc closures for public holidays. This can allow you to set up greetings to advise customers of your regular opening times, or set up a voice mailbox to take messages; you can give a professional edge to the service with pre-recorded greetings, or add a personal touch with custom audio. Alternatively, there are instant messages or chatbot services to provide support to consumers, or calls can be diverted to groups, mobiles or extensions to allow staff to pick up from another location.

Setting up an out-of-hours schedule is straightforward with VoIP, and the aforementioned options can ensure that the business runs smoothly, customers feel informed and valued, and no important communications are lost.

admin by — May 15, 2019 in Business
10 interior design secrets from the pros

After you have purchased your new home with the help of Gloucester Estate Agents you can begin to decorate the rooms as you wish. Gloucester Estate Agents TGRES can help you find a property that is the best condition possible so that you do not have to start completely from scratch. There is no rule book available when it comes to the interior design world. The design comes from a creative outlet and with that, a natural flair for throwing colors, art, and fabrics together to create something beautiful. Your colors are as important as your fabrics and if you choose fabrics first, you can build your color scheme around them. The rooms you are redesigning should be started with a creative palette and with simplicity comes to class and style.

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Hot Home Tips

The room you are redesigning should be looked at as a whole rather than piece by piece. Check out the art pieces you want to put into the room and the furniture at the same time. Are you redoing the whole thing and fitting engineered wood flooring? Are you repainting the walls and ceilings too? This is why a color palette is important – knowing these things will get you everywhere. Art pieces that you are proud of should be put in the center of the room and be on display properly so that they can be enjoyed.

According to an article on Mother Earth News, there are more options out there for green flooring that is friendly to your carbon footprint. So if you are redecorating and you incorporate this into your home, you are doing something beautiful for the environment at the same time. With beautiful engineered wood flooring comes furniture options to maximize the room you are in. Large mirrors to reflect light, low furnishings to add scale to a room and splashes of color through the room.

Go Big…Then Go Home

There is a place for thrift store furnishings but your beds and sofas should never be from there. You want to go big with big items! With flooring, you could choose engineered wood flooring as well as many other varieties depending on what look you are going for.

You can make neutral décor simply pop just by adding different fabrics and textiles. The contrast of the materials that may be full color, splashed against neutral designs means that you have something totally beautiful in place of something plain. In small living spaces, deep furnishings can give the illusion of grandeur that a small room often lacks. Time to pick up that paintbrush and get to work!

admin by — May 14, 2019 in Home