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In the tough economic times that we are, and have been experiencing for the last couple of years, everyone is on the looking for enterprising investment opportunities. Property investment is definitely on the up and up, especially considering the rapid rate at which the prime London property market is growing. Many people are still undecided about whether to invest in their own properties, or invest in a property fund. This article takes a look at the four main advantages of putting your money into a UK property fund:

1. Professional Investment Advice

Unlike when investing in a property on your own, if you put your money into a local or overseas property investment fund, you will be constantly advised by professional property investors, evaluators and any other industry experts who will ensure that all property you have invested in, achieves maximum ROI. This knowledge is well beyond the property know how of the average citizen.

They say that history repeats itself.  While that’s true, it’s never quite the same second time around. Post war, people were actively encouraged to cultivate food en masse for the future of the country, let alone for personal pleasure. In the Naughties, people are doing it purely for their own enjoyment and allotments have become big business.

Having an allotment, I used to think, was a hobby for old people. It didn’t occur to me that they might not have their own garden. I thought it was somewhere they chose to spend their time, pottering, chatting with friends; a  place to while away hours sewing, feeding, nurturing plants, fruit and vegetables, or possibly just using it as an excuse to get out of the house. I never saw the appeal to be honest, labouring in the cold for a measly carrot or two.

I have recently written and read numerous articles of late about how the UK property market is on the up and up after a terrible year in 2009. HOWEVER, the big variable this year that might have a negative effect on the property market is the general elections which will be taking place shortly. This article takes a look at the possible effects this might have on the UK property market and whether property investment London will still be a good idea come December…

Current performance:

London prime property has been thriving in the early parts of this year and is at historic highs, recently becoming the most expensive property per square meter in the world, beating even Monte Carlo. This is mainly attributed to the fact that UK property availability is low, the pound is not terribly strong and overseas buyers are pouncing on the opportunity of grabbing prime UK properties whilst they can.

Stella McCartney never fails to impress and her show at this year’s Paris Fashion Week, which took place earlier this month, was no different. Pieces from the designer’s ready-to-wear collection exhibited her characteristic luxurious yet subtle style, which is always warmly received by her always star-studded audience.

Celebs like Thandie Newton, Lara Stone, David Williams, Twiggy, and Sir Paul McCartney all had sought-after front row seats to view the latest Stella McCartney clothing. Outstanding pieces from the range include top with a broad black and camel stripe, plain elegant linear coats and comfortable yet trendy fisherman’s jumpers. McCartney dedicated the collection to her late friend and fellow fashion icon Alexander McQueen who committed suicide in early February.

Many a Hollywood glamour girl has been spotted in a Stella McCartney dress on the red carpets of prestigious events and awards shows. Kate Winslet was gorgeously elegant in a simply beautiful black dress by from the designer’s Pre-Fall 2010 collection at the BAFTA awards earlier this year.

Whether you are a seasoned hiker or have recently decided that this is the year that you will become one with nature, you cannot simply walk outside and exclaim to the other hikers, “Let’s go!” Outdoor hiking is not as easy as it may seem, and in many instances, you will have to camp overnight in order to carry on hiking the next day. You should be fully prepared for any form of outdoor hiking and following these few easy suggestions will help you enjoy your hike to the fullest extent.

Outdoor hiking has many benefits. It is a great form of exercise and is good for blood circulation; stress relief and general well being. Experts suggest that you start with an easier route and work your way up to a more challenging hiking trip. But before you set off on your first or 40th hiking voyage, there are a few things that you should not be without in the great outdoors.

Most often data recovery specialists have to deal with hard drives that have been damaged, broken or corrupted by their unsuspecting owners. However, the job also entails regularly having to deal with the consequences of malicious computer viruses that infect computers, designed by ill-intentioned outsiders.

Although security measures and computer virus protection software is ever-improving, hackers and identity thieves are continually finding more cunning ways to steal information and create general chaos.

Here are three of the most heinous and destructive computer viruses of all time:

1. The Melissa virus

Creator David L. Smith paid tribute to a Florida stripper in naming his virus, which was the first effective email-aware virus to cause damage to a whopping twenty percent of the world’s computers in 1999. Email servers all over the world had to shut down entirely to remove the computer virus and prevent further spread. Melissa forwarded itself to the first 50 contacts in any unfortunate victims MS Outlook list. It also infected document files, overwriting them with quotes from ‘The Simpsons’.

A New York judge last week rejected rescue workers’ compensatory claim for illnesses caused as a result of rescue attempts and clearing up after the World Trade Center attacks. A long court battle has been ongoing since the attacks in 2001 when terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center causing numerous deaths and severe injuries. But why did the judge reject the workers’ claim despite the fact that the New York City authorities and the workers had already agreed on a deal? Let’s take a look…

Why are the rescue workers claiming compensation?

It was discovered soon after the World Trade Center attacks that the resultant dust that was in the air at ground zero was toxic, and rescue workers, men and women, weren’t given appropriate safety shoes, mens safety shoes, womens safety shoes, safety masks and other useful gear in time to avoid contamination. Up to 10 000 workers have since been diagnosed with different illnesses, mostly related to the respiratory system.

Have you ever tried to translate a sentence from a foreign language to your own language with an online translation service and been baffled by the results? Digital language translation tends to translate text directly, so any use of slang or shortened text will be unrecognisable in most cases. This can become frustrating if we need to use this online language translation tool for work or study purposes, and the topic of digital translation using language software tools has become a conversational topic for language and technology enthusiasts alike.

Despite recent good news that the London property market is on the up and up, the remainder of the UK property market is still struggling to recover from the recent global credit crunch. The most affected it seems, are young people looking to buy their first house. Statistics show that young professionals are putting their relationships, marriages and the idea of having children on hold until they are able to purchase a property in the UK.

Recent research carried out by the National Housing Federation indicates that almost 40% of young professionals are reluctant to get married or have children until they are able purchase a UK property of their own. The research focused on 18 to 30 year olds who were not yet home owners.

Aside from being great for the environment and seriously cost efficient, LED lights are extremely durable and can be used for much more than simply lighting up a room. Some inventors from around the world who clearly have far too much time on their hands have found numerous alternative ways of using LED light bulbs. This articles takes a look at 3 such inventions; and believe me, the cool factor in this article is high!

1. LED Light Pegs

How cool is this? The tree that these pegs are attached to is actually charging these pegs. It’s a great decoration on its own, but the LED Light pegs can easy be detached and used anywhere you like. And when I say anywhere, I mean ANYWHERE! The pegs are waterproof, so having them floating in your pool or perhaps in the bathtub for some mood setting lighting is always an option.