Here's to you. IRIEview.co.uk

Ban smoking in cars, says British Medical Association

2011-11-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

All smoking in cars should be banned across the UK to protect people from second-hand smoke, doctors say. Smoking is already banned in vehicles that are used for work purposes, such as taxis but The doctors' union said an outright ban - even if there were no passengers - would be the best way forward.

Well, while I can agree that smoking is bad for too many reasons, I can't help but wonder what is becoming of our freedom. Some argue that they're fed up with being told what they can and can't do by the government and now it extends even further, into being able to smoke in ones' own car. I wonder too how the police will enforce such a law.

I suppose given that you are not deemed to be in full control of a motor vehicle if you are eating, or handling a mobile phone, a cigarette is a logical next step. Ever had hot ash or a lit cigarette fall on your lap?

Well reader, you decide. We are after all free to say whatever we want - and are forever mindful that there can be consequences for our actions. Here's to freedom...and the powers that be who decide how we live it eh.

Your website will reap when you SEO.

2010-12-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

|posted today, 12th Dec.2010 |kevin bedward| http://www.byitsizepro.co.uk

It's all about considering how search engines work. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Want a tip,..increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links on your website - it's a good SEO tactic; just don't over do it.

I recommend you call my business partner Kate, of Byitsizepro.co.uk as we offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site and site content, you should be aware that there is no overnight success story here, simply know-how and working towards an objective.

Another tip for you,... Search engines like Google constantly change\improve their algorithm and criteria for what makes a website worthy of being highly ranked - their goal is to make sure that the results they provide you, are the most relevant websites for your search terms. They will look for sites that employ such techniques like keyword stuffing or link farms (excessive back-links) ...in order to remove them from their search results or simply place them further back from the first page.

Step 1. Make a website - Step 2. Make your website work for you.

2010-11-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

| posted 26 November 2010 | by Kevin Bedward - http://www.byitsizepro.co.uk

Everything in life evolves right?..most things?..ok, you have to at least agree that some things do. Why then are people with a website so reluctant to understand that their website needs to evolve too. I'm all too aware that many people stop improving or developing their website once it's launched and on-line. Some of this is about having a misconception that changing your website often will spoil it's optimization with the search engines..rubbish. Ask Google if you don't believe me. You are advised by me to always improve, refine, test and develop your website and record your results. See what works and what doesn't for your target audience and although it's been said before, it's worth repeating that you can make money on-line by having a website - but making one, (or hey getting http:\\www.byitsizepro.co.uk to make it) - is definitely not the end of the story and the best part about using a website to make money is that you don't even need to sell anything directly yourself - you can get paid for being the middle man. I can help by posting some tips, but you have to make a start by getting yourself visible on the world market by getting yourself a website. so why shouldn't your website? I've seen this mistake again and again and again online. People will put tons of money into a site, get it built and then once it's complete that's it. It's done. No need to do anything else to the site. There's no need to test it, see what users think or see if it even makes money.

This is totally NOT the way to go about it. The Google guys say it best, "release it and iterate." That's what it comes down to. Get it done and continue to refine it again and again. It will never be perfect nor will it ever be complete. But it can always be improved

Haye, what did you think about Fraudly Harrison?

2010-11-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

|posted by fight fan Kevin Bedward of byitsizepro.co.uk
You could hear the crowd at Manchester's MEN Arena booing from whatever part of the world you lived, during, at the heavyweights after a tame opening two rounds. The sell-out crowd had witnessed two uneventful rounds with barely a punch thrown before the younger man exploded into life in the third. Haye had hoped to retire this year as undisputed champion but negotiations with WBC champion Vitali Klitschko and IBF/WBO king Wladimir Klitschko are at a stalemate. It wasn't as if we weren't warned..many boxing fans like myself felt before Saturday that the fight wouldn't live up to expectations.Referee Luis Pabon called a halt but Harrison, who landed just ONE punch in the fight, complained he was not given a chance to recover. Bizarrely, he moaned: "The ref was premature to end the fight.

"I definitely started a bit slow as my plan was to take David to the deep end - but he landed one on me and caught me. And while many commentators and website reviews that I've already read reckon Harrison is now finished, he still believes he may have a future. He said: "My mission is not complete, my goals not realised.

....what's your view?

What are the benefits of this system?

2010-11-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

|posted today 12th November 2010|kevin bedward|byitsizepro.co.uk

We often hear the leaders of rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption...makes me think about the Pot and Kettle analogy. I get it,...I have to stop myself from thinking that the person begging me for money, based on their appearance, is only going to use it to buy booze or drugs or simply just fritter away my hard earned money on some selfish indulgence. But my grip is that the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and towards those in need, happen to stem from policies and governments. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority lists, but so too must it be on the priority lists of rich countries.

In the past year the advice from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to nations such as my homeland Jamaica, on currency, tax and banking policies have suffered over $200 billion in loan losses as they continue with the notion that one country's wealth is achieved at the expense of another's and fuelling each government to what we see happen...governments discouraging importing and encouraging exports. Me me me..mine. hmmm..I'm going to keep my byitsize blogs to a minimum, but I won't stop trying to understand just how we as a people have managed to stray so far from unity.

If it Stinks,..I hold my nose and say EU..

2010-10-30T05:48:00.001-07:00

|posted by Kevin Bedward|of byitsizepro.co.uk

Well blow me down...just when I thought it was safe to go driving again,...the European Union put the brakes on logic and common sense. Their current ideas for member states of the European Union, of which England is a member as you know,..not only seeks to collect yet more money from us as a country but seemingly in more subtle individual ways too. David Cameron made headlines yesterday and claimed to have achieved a "spectacular success" over European spending, despite accepting that Britain would have to hand over £430m more to Brussels next year.

And as Jamaican would say, dat nat even de worse part a it. Young women drivers could see their insurance premiums soar in an upcoming new ruling that will stop insurance companies from asking the sex of its customers. If this happens, young women drivers, who currently benefit from lower rates because they are deemed far less likely to have road accidents than males of a similar age, could see their insurance premiums soar.

What do you make of all this? for starters,...what exactly do we pay the EU to do FOR us? ...let me know your thoughts as I continue to monitor this and give you my byitsize view on things. Till next time, take it easy out there..IRIE.

Buju Banton said Boom Bye Bye but American Judge says Try try try as drug case declared a mistrial

2010-09-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm only going to mention a few main points on this whole Buju Banton court case, not because I'm not aware of alot of the details involved, but mostly because the whole thing irritates me. Why? because guilty or not I can't help but feel that he should have enough money by now to not need to be anywhere near these kinds of ...well call it what you want..temptations, mistakes grrr shenanigans if you will. So let me just jump on the bandwagon and give you some of what you already know plus a few things here or there that you may not have known. Buju was born near Kingston Jamaica, in a neighborhood called Salt Lane but as early as the age of 12, he was picking up the microphone and performing under his other name of "Gargamel" with popular "Sound systems" as we call them in Jamaica.

In 1998 now aged 15, he first recorded the controversial song, "Boom Bye Bye", (which I feel was good and bad for him) which contained homophobic lyrics. This was a huge song for buju which got major air play in Jamaica, and around the world (the re-release of this song) and caused controversy with each spin. Where were you when you first heard this song?...well anyway, according to Buju - not like I asked him myself you understand, but from what I could source in Jamaican books and articles on the DJ- the song was written in response to a widely reported man/boy rape case in Jamaica ....I'd love to know if he has any regrets about that song. I mean for instance, Buju was always controversial, but ever since his career took off in the US, gay rights activists have targeted his shows and he's had to cancel shows in Europe where gay groups say his songs incite violence against homosexuals. Buju ? what can I say - life's full of ups and downs or what.? Now he's in the news for a drug charge case and accused of conspiring to buy cocaine from an undercover police officer last year and the 37-year-old singer, whose real name is Mark Myrie by-the-way, has testified that he talked a lot about cocaine, but he was only trying to impress the man, not secure a drug deal. I can believe this...and will make it a lesson to note myself about showing off or trying to impress people. Buju is also known for songs like one of my favourites - Untold Stories, walk like a champion, browning and many more. He's pleaded not guilty to the charges, but if he is found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The Judge in the case has declared it a mistrial and it's now put off until December of this year with Buju remanded in custody without bail until the next hearing date. Till then, we can only really speculate on the outcome. Many are predicting he will be released, but I'm not so sure given my personal feelings on American style justice. We'll see,.... and I'll keep blogging this story here and on my other blog sites rather than on my main site byitsizepro.co.uk. Bless up.

Do you remember the day when GOD died?

2010-09-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

|author-kbedward|11:54am -visit me here at byitsizepro.co.uk for web development information

There are nothing less than 1000 different things that I wish I'd said or asked my father about before he died. Growing up in rural Jamaica during the late 1970's afforded me many nights listening to people tell ghost stories - the more familiar term for me being 'duppy stories'. Did you know that if you are followed by a duppy, the thing to do is to stop and mark an X on the ground and since they can only count to nine they will spend the night there trying to count to X. hey, laugh all you want, I did at first too until another power cut some nights later had me marking more X's around my house than most politicians have to count after a general election.

It's funny the things we choose to believe or dismiss as myth or just great stories. I mean pretty soon I won't know my Robin hood from my Roman emperors or my Saints from Santa Claus. Christmas used to mark the birth of Jesus - part of a mysterious divine three in one existence - God and man, Father and Son and Spirit ...but even this story is in danger of being forgotten as my world around me increasingly dismisses the 'Christ' from Christmas, in favour of a more acceptable fun filled X-mas. As God he is all-powerful in a way that we cannot fully understand to the point of dying for us, then displaying more power by rising again from the dead. My kids ask me often where he was in the 3 days between being dead and risen again. If I knew that I'd be writing books and chilling on the beach in Jamaica is my usual response.

Belief kills and belief cures - another saying I grew up with, and I'm so glad that I can remember still yet a great many things I've encountered as I live and it is said that our beliefs help shape the way we live and die. I believe therefore in life after death, and that God has demonstrated his power and control over both. I believe in never laughing at someones dream; I believe I can be humble and polite and still not get pushed around; I believe discomfort is necessary for things to change...remember the good things you believe in and get started on changing your view...remember, whatever you believe....God believes in you.

And the Google said unto us, seek and we shall find

2010-09-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

The life span of a Google search normally lasts less than half a second, yet the process we don't see involves a many different steps that must be completed before the results can be delivered to us. It's all the more amazing to me because the software behind their search engine technology will conduct a series of simultaneous calculations in only a fraction of a second. And the results are very accurate. I can still remember when even the most innocent search query, for things like 'big hard drive' - for my computer, would invariably throw up at least 5 different porn websites.

Once upon a time in order to get the best out of search engines, optimisation specialists and website designers like Kate McCarthy of byitsizepro.co.uk took into consideration that search engines then relied heavily on how often a word appears on a web page to choose appropriate keywords for use throughout the website and in 'meta-tags' - in order to get the website highly ranked.

These days web developers like Kate in keeping pace with rapidly advancing technology, understand that Google for instance uses more than 200 signals, including their patented PageRank™ algorithm, to examine the entire link structure of the web and determine which pages are most important. But that's not all either, they then conduct what Google calls hypertext-matching analysis, ( don't worry, I'll explain more on that in a sec..) to determine which pages are relevant to the specific search words you entered. So by combining overall importance and query-specific relevance, viola! ...the most relevant and reliable results first.

If you have a business website that simply put, isn't generating extra revenue through on-line traffic there could be reasons ranging from its design to the level of expertise employed in making sure that it does more to be visible for search engines - potential new business. Do some research into available free technology such as Google analytics that generates detailed statistics about visitors to your website, or get help from this site: byitsizepro.co.uk. As promised, below is a little more information. Hope this helps your view. |posted by kevinbedward|12:42pm|23.09.2010

Hypertext-Matching Analysis: Googles search engine analyzes page content, but instead of simply scanning for page-based text (which can be manipulated by site publishers through meta-tags), they analyze the full content of a page and even factor in things like fonts, subdivisions, title tags, H1 tags etc, and the precise location of each word, even to the point of looking at the content of neighbouring web pages to ensure the results returned are the most relevant to your query.

Is Jamaican Dancehall music dying?

2010-09-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

THE END OF DANCEHALL MUSIC? - a byitsizepro.co.uk article posting.

Some say it has the effect of normalising violence through its music and regular lyrical content, adding that dance-hall music has been preaching the way of the gun to impressionable young minds and so it should be banned.

“They make bad look so glorious,” - said one person interviewed by byitsizepro .

I read how popular DJ Buju Banton is locked up in the US and now awaiting trial for possession and alleged trafficking of cocaine. Then I read how Vbyz Kartel and Mavado are banned from going to Barbados because the authorities there said the artistes promoted violence and it makes me think of the issue, the history of the music but also of the art and expression by the musicians/artistes involved.

I reach for my BlackBerry device and listen to dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel’s song ‘Gaza Commandments’ as well as reggae artist Duane Stephenson’s ‘August Town.’ While the contrast between the songs is stark—the former is very explicit, and seeks to make a parallel of Jamaicas surge again in violence to the conflict-ridden Palestinian territory. Duane Stephensons song is a soulful ballad that speaks of redemption. I'm not a huge fan, but my heads bopping and I find myself gravitating to the faster dancehall beats provided by Kartels song; dancehall is popular across my homeland Jamaica. Evidence of its captivating power.
Those who lost their visas now join a number of artistes who already could not travel to the US such as Busy Signal and Kartel.
Is Dancehall music going through some serious times towards is end? Are these challenges or just retribution for a controversial form of expression, which has been blamed for violence? Has the lack of standards and guidelines helped to cause these problems, which now threaten to end dancehall music as we know it? I wonder...but hey, what are your thoughts?

Jamaica Gleaner News - Orchid business flowering in St Mary - Lead Stories - Tuesday | September 21, 2010

2010-09-21T03:14:00.000-07:00

Jamaican News - Orchid business flowering in St Mary - Tuesday | September 21, 2010
WHEN RICHARD Padgette, new owner of Green Castles in St Mary, decided that he would pursue ecotourism interests instead of the traditional areas of agriculture for which the property had developed a reputation, he offered some of the workers a chance to buy into those areas.
Lloyd Pringle, who was managing the orchid operation, jumped at the opportunity to go into business and with his wife, Shana, bought out the operation and leased some of the land. That was three years ago.
Orchids are a year-round business, with peak periods such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas and Secretaries Day and the Pringles sell right across the island, from Negril Point to St Thomas in the east. They use courier services to facilitate delivery to the distant wedding coordinators, event planners and florists who support the business, while for neighbouring parishes, such as St Andrew and Kingston, they make the deliveries.
Business could be better if he could only get the orchids to cooperate by blooming in sync with the demand for them, but Pringle says that, try as he might, the flowers just won't cooperate.

"The thing about orchids is that they produce in their season, unmindful of the calendar," he stated. "So like wedding seasons, there is not a lot of orchids because that's not their peak season - June to end of August. So we just have to send out what we have. We've tried everything and they won't bloom when they are not ready to bloom." visit byitsizepro.co.uk to get your website looking great.

Want to enjoy a Jamaican Themed Party? Heres what you'll need..

2010-09-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

...at roughly145 miles in length and 50 miles wide, this island nation in the Greater Antilles is situated in the Caribbean sea and about 90 miles south of Cuba and is still considered as home to me. Once owned by Spain and called Santiago, in 1655 it became a British Colony and then known as Jamaica , and in 1962 Jamaica later achieved full independence. Jamaica has been a favourite get-away destination for many but if you can't go there then maybe consider having a taste of it's party atmosphere and bring some of the fun and sun to you and your friends (errm..gimme a call too okay.) Here's a byitsize suggestion of things you'll need.

Reggae and Ska music.
Jamaican food like jerk chicken.
Rum - Light and dark & Red Stripe Beers.
Get a TAN from this company - no sunbed rubbish
Posters depicting Jamaican beaches.
Dominoes

By the way,...feel free to let me know how it went and what other items not mentioned on this list, helped make your event a really IRIE occasion.

When Reggae HITS, you feel less pain

2010-09-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Shaggy reportedly tops the list of richest Reggae acts / Jamaican artistes and they've amassed some US$90 million (J$7.7 billion) in net worth - based on data from an online media report released last week.These artistes, more than others, sold millions of records, toured successfully and entered into successful business ventures, according to the urbanislandz.com report. It listed the net worth of:

Shaggy at US$22 million ($1.8 billion)
Jimmy Cliff at US$18 million ($1.5 billion)
Sean Paul at US$11 million ($944 million)
Ziggy Marley at US$10 million ($858 million)
Sean Kingston at US$7 million ($601 million)
Damian Marley at US$6 million ($515 million)
Maxi Priest at US$4.6 million ($395 million)
Buju Banton at US$4 million ($343 million)
Beenie Man at US$3.7 million ($318 million)
Bounty Killer at US$3 million ($258 million)

Just a word on web development..

2010-09-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

Web development is a broad term for the work involved in developing a web site for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). This can include web design, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development. However, among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding. The cost of Web site development and hosting has dropped dramatically and instead of costing many thousands, as was the case for early websites, one can now develop a simple web site for less than a few hundred pounds, depending on the complexity and amount of content. My company byitsizepro for example, offers small business websites from as little as £180.00 for a simple website. Of course, there is now a wide range of options in web development software such as: Adobe Dreamweaver, Netbeans, WebDev or Microsoft Expression Studio which virtually anyone can use to develop a Web page in a matter of minutes. Knowledge of HTML or other programming languages would be advantageous but is not required. The more difficult aspects you will encounter is making your website function as it should - for instance with consideration to the many various web browsers and user viewing preferences. Tell you what, if you have the time and interest, then go for it. Visit byitsizepro.co.uk today for all you need to get you started including free tutorials and suggested software.

WEBSITE DESIGN SERVICES local to York

2010-09-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

visit this site: www.byitsizepro.co.uk - which is catering to the small businesses mostly, but offering good rates and results for those in need of a website. While it's true that there are many great softwares available to do a DIY job on making a website, it is truer still that a great deal of experience is needed to get the final product visually and functionally right; the impression of your website to the visitor is important and could damage your business efforts invested in the website rather than promote or increase its value.

trivia

2010-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. and this gem.."A number one followed by 100 zeros is known by what name?" which was a question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? when the now infamous Major Charles Ingram attempted to defraud the quiz show on 10 September 2001. The answer? : Google! - well,..sort-of (Googol) - but I believe its what Google as we know first got the idea for their name. The company name Google is a misspelling of the word "Googol" made by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as described in the book The Google Story by David A. Vise.

I thought I had more to say.!

2010-09-15T05:37:00.001-07:00

..but as it turns out, the vocabulary of the average person consists of around 5000 - 6000 words. I think the total number of words in the English language is around 250,000; and growing and many words become obsolete over time. I think people like Shakespeare (arguably our languages master) must have used at least 18,000 in his writings and I'm no Shakespeare. My guess is that I probably end up using about 2000 of the most common words over and over and over again (hee hee).

let's change the ways of the world one step at a time...

2009-12-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

....let's keep it simple. If the battery is dead in the remote pressing harder on the buttons will now..... make it work. off you go.

ever noticed??

2009-12-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

for starters, we generally say the alarm is going off - when it makes a noise in switching on..lol... Which got me to wondering. And next came, the question of why the buttons on men's shirts are on the opposite side to women's?? ...I get that men and women are different in many ways,...but this is going too far don't you think. Especially given that most people are right-handed. hmmm.... And if it's because in times past the cost of buttons, the clothing style of say the early 18th - 19th century etc. meant that mostly it was the wealthy or Royal in society that wore buttons on their clothing,- and that then most of these women of high society were dressed by maids (thus making it easier on the one doing the dressing to have the buttons reversed)...then i'll poke you in the eye cos why hasn't been sorted now then?? hmmm...soon come.