Throughout history, ethics, morals and general social conduct have been in a state of constant flux, to such an extent that numerous practices which were considered unacceptable in the past are now a common constituent of our daily lives. The social conventions which govern many aspects of any given period are essentially an amalgamation of tradition, innate morality (if such a thing is to be conceived as existent); which are often to some extent enforced by ideological state apparatus of the ilk of the church and racial heritage; and the laws of the time and place, as upheld by the governing body through repressive state apparatus such as the police and consequently the judicial system. A most forceful and interesting example of this is to be found in our understanding of the term ‘taboo’.

In a collection of his essays entitled “Totem and Taboo” first published in 1919,Sigmund Freud posits amongst other things, his interpretation of the role of taboo in both history and the modern day, ultimately linking it with the actions and views of neurotics. Freud, in Chapter 2: Taboo and the Ambivalence of Emotions presents the intriguing paradox that: “For us the meaning of taboo branches off into two opposite directions. On the one hand it means to us sacred, consecrated: but on the other hand it means, uncanny, dangerous, forbidden, and unclean.”(P41)

As this apparent contradiction of definitions would suggest; the age old concept of taboo: in the eyes of Freud focuses upon prohibitions and desires. Within the text, Freud elaborates that in ancient civilisation, most notably in Polynesia; taboo served several functions. Not only did it guard those in power against assassination through a network of superstitions which prevented direct contact between a chief and a common man, but also fulfilled a similar task in protecting the vulnerable. Simultaneously, taboo as is stated in the quotation from Northcote W. Thomas’ article on the subject within Totem and Taboo, protected an individual’s property from theft, prevented the consumption of particular animals and substances and barred interaction with the corpses of the dead. Consequently it can be judged that taboo is generally held to be considered that which through threat of negative repercussions, is restricted or prohibited.

In his introduction to the splendid little tome: ‘The Wordsworth Dictionary of Obscenity and Taboo’, James McDonald provides an outline of the way in which taboos operate in modern society rather than as a universal concept: “In practice, therefore, our chosen taboos reflect our communal attitudes, and the fact that in recent times English speakers have tended to stigmatize sex and excretion must say something about our collective mentality.”(p6 1988) As McDonald points out; taboo leads inevitably to the imposition of euphemisms in order to avoid direct utterance of particular socially prohibited terms. In turn these euphemisms themselves gain taboo status as a consequence, one would presume, of the familiarity resulting from persistent usage, which in turn grants them an even closer association with the action or object of taboo than the term they served to replace.

Are we eternally engaged in a system where euphemisms from their day of entry to the lexicon are gradually dragged toward the taboo end of the spectrum; only for the whole process to be repeated ad infinitum?

This doesn't even relate to office supplies

The goldfish is widely considered one of the lowest maintenance pets available. There is a great deal of truth in this statement: there is no need to take it out on walks in the rain, nor the requirement to fix a fish-flap into your backdoor. Despite the relative ease with which fish can be kept however; there are still a few commonly made mistakes when it comes to looking after these water loving companions.

The following points are by no means an exhaustive list of aspects to consider but are most definitely worth bearing in mind if you’re planning to invest in an aquatic pal:

1- Chlorine is good for swimming pools...but not good for fish tanks: Although relatively hardy, there are some things which fish struggle to tolerate. Unfortunately one of these things is chlorine and other trace elements, which it just so happens are often present in small quantities in tap water. In order to prevent this chlorine and other contaminants from posing a threat to your goldfish, run the tap for at least 30 seconds before filling the tank. In addition it is advisable to add some de-chlorination solution to the water.

2- Fish are sociable: Research has suggested that gold fish enjoy watching their owners go about their daily lives as much as we take pleasure in watching them do the same. As such: keep your fish tank somewhere visible and relatively light (but out of direct sunlight), this also lessens the risk of forgetting to feed your fish.

3- Don’t overfeed your fish: Overfeeding is the single largest cause of premature death in goldfish. They pretty greedy chaps and are unlikely to stop eating just because they’re full, so you must make sure that they don’t get carried away. Once a day should be the absolute maximum in terms of feeding regularity. I personally have found that once every two days is absolutely perfect: it also saves a little money on fish food!

4- Careful with the water temperature: Goldfish are coldwater fish, that does not however mean you should fill the tank with cold water...confusing, I know. The ideal is in fact a more ambient temperature: a couple of degrees lower than room temperature is perfectly adequate. So remember to add a little warm water to cold water and test to ensure that it isn’t icy cold (nor actively warm!).

5- Clean the tank out: Goldfish are relatively dirty animals, then again so would you be if you ate and excreted in the same small space! As such, even if the water in the tank looks clean it may well be rather saturated with none too pleasant micro-organisms. Clean the tank out regularly and make sure to abide by the previous points about de-chlorination and temperature when doing so to keep your fish happy.

Written by Jamie Lyons sponsored by OfficeYoo office supplies and office supplies Liverpool

Autism is a very misunderstood condition that affects a surprisingly large amount of the UKs population. Until you have firsthand experience of dealing with somebody that you know to be on the Autistic Spectrum, dependant where on the spectrum they are you may be forgiven for not even knowing they are autistic. You are more likely to believe that they are just being rude.

The more you come to know about Autism you will realise that this just isn’t the case. Autistic people are just like the rest of us they just do things differently just as different cultures live by different rules. People with ASDs generally only have a single focus of attention and are UN able to multi task.

As an example if somebody with Autism is watching a particular program on the television that they really like you could be screaming and shouting their name and they could seemingly not hear you because they are so focused on the program they are watching. ASD people are excellent at what they are doing at that point in time and will not change that focus until they want to.

Apart from this there are many other areas of an ASD that may present themselves such as sensory over load. A lot of ASD people cannot cope with their surroundings if it’s too busy as there are simply just too many things for their minds to process. Most of us wouldn’t notice all of these things going on around us but to somebody with an ASD this sort of environment can be very distressing.

This article isn’t intended to give you an overview of Autism and all its traits its more to offer some advice on a particular area that may affect some people with an ASD. Somebody suffering from a sensory issue, in particular aversion to noise, in the past would have probably relied on putting their hands over their ears, not going anywhere where they would come into contact with strange noises or even walked around with a pair of ear phones on.

Today there are at least two popular alternatives that can be offered. The first can help in two ways and is an IPod. IPods are very popular today and if the person wanted to go UN noticed as suffering from this particular trait and IPod would offer a good alternative and they can also pipe some music through it that they like. This solution works well on the move but in some situations just isn’t possible like in school classrooms for instance.

The way around this is the ever popular ear defenders. These devices can be custom moulded to fit snugly in your ear. They come in a whole host of different colours and can be worn as much as you like. Ear Defenders literally block out all the excessive noise allowing you to hear what is being said so your hearing is very focussed rather than all over the place. As an option if the person suffering with an ASD will wear them is probably the most suitable. Autism isn’t a condition to be feared it’s a condition that needs to be understood in greater detail.

Even with today’s level of internet knowledge it seems that there is still a huge amount of people out there who do not know what search engine optimisation is or why their website needs it if it is going to stand any chance of succeeding in the internet arena. During this article I hope to clear both of the above to problems up.

Before we get into search engine optimisation or SEO as it’s also known you really need to understand a few basic principles. First of all a search engine is a portal that displays results to internet users in response to a specific keyword search. You may now be thinking well what is a keyword search?

A keyword is a word by which you wish to find a specific website. As an example if you wanted to find a website about hotels in the Manchester area a good keyword to search on could be Manchester hotels. After you have inputted your keyword and clicked go it’s the job of the search engine to provide you with the most relevant results.

The internet is becoming more and more competitive everyday with lots of new websites joining if you like every second. This is where top quality search engine optimisation really comes into play.

It’s the job of the search engines to produce the most relevant results to a user. To do this it has to rank each and every website in order of importance based on numerous ranking factors. The job of an SEO is to pre-empt these ranking factors so that the search engines will deem their website more relevant than the next and reward it with a higher ranking.

The search engines are improving on a minute by minute basis so as a good SEO you need to keep yourself up to date with all of the latest changes and updates. All of this now leads me nicely on to the reason why your website needs SEO. The search engines are improving like I said minute by minute so if you or somebody else is not actively optimising your website then somebody else will be optimising theirs and it will be their website that ranks higher than yours. Its best to view top rankings like a race. If you work hard at keeping your website up to date then you will stay up front if you stop or slow down somebody else will overtake you.

Debt consolidation refers to the replacement of several debts or loans with one single loan. There are a number of reasons why an individual may choose to consolidate their various debts into one loan and the overall benefits of doing so are also multitudinous.

The majority of individuals who find themselves in a position which necessitates a complete overhaul of their debt situation will do so due to their inability to stay on top of current debt and loan repayments. It is unfortunately also the norm that a large component of the total amount being paid out each month in servicing debts will tend to be interest payments. Debts such as credit cards and unsecured loans will on the whole incur higher levels of interest and it is often the case that by paying back the minimum monthly sum to cover credit card debt, you will in fact be only making the smallest of dents in the total amount owed due to the interest accumulation. Similarly, the total amount repayable on an unsecured loan taken over a long period will often be a substantially larger sum than the amount borrowed due to the high interest rate.

Debt consolidation loans are for the most part low interest loans and the repayment duration is matched to the circumstances and finances of the individual. By replacing a number of smaller loans or debts with one loan which offers a lower rate of interest, the hassle of covering multiple bills is significantly reduced, along with both the amount paid per month and the total figure paid once the consolidation loan has been cleared. All in all, debt consolidation loans offer a means of paying off debt quicker, for less financial outlay and in doing so induce considerably less stress than juggling various creditors.

Debt consolidation can be performed without a specifically tailored debt consolidation loan by using a credit card which offers an interest free period on balance transfers. Although this method does allow you to consolidate multiple debts it is not a reliable method of doing so. If you are unable to pay off the full balance transferred onto the new credit card before the interest free period expires, then high interest will applied to the remaining figure- which could well simply serve to perpetuate the problem. By contacting a professional debt help organisation you can rest assured that you are taking steps to bring about an end to your debts and doing so in the most time and cost effective manner.

Written by Jamie Rock Lyons on behalf of OfficeYoo Office Supplies and SimpleWeb SEO Oldham

Living less than ten miles from the famous curry mile, having eaten curry since I was a boy and still enjoying a an Indian takeaway or meal at least once a week I would say that I am reasonably qualified to offer an opinion on how to choose a good curry house.

Location
Curry houses seem to be springing up everywhere nowadays. When I was little there was one curry house and if you didn’t go to that you had to travel rather a long way to get to another one. Today we are spoilt for choice so don’t be put off simply by the location of your restaurant. As there is so much competition it only makes sense to open a new restaurant where there aren’t anymore so don’t be surprised or put off by a new restaurant simply because you think it’s funny where it is located.

Time of the Week
Time of the week is vital for making your decision. Curry houses usually do a great trade over the weekend especially after the pubs have closed. Unless you are a regular drinker you probably won’t see them packed out after closing time so you will need to make a decision based on something else. If you can try and drive past mid week around a normal meal time. I wouldn’t expect you to see a full curry house but if the curry is good you will no doubt see customers inside from the native area of the curry house style. This is obviously a good sign as if the native culture are enjoying the cuisine then you are more than likely to also.

Recommendations
Everybody including myself seems to be an expert on curry but it certainly pays to listen. After all if somebody else has had a good experience then the place has got to be worth a try. Don’t be afraid of listening to recommendations unless they have come from somebody who only eats after they have been thrown out of the pub when quite frankly anything tastes nice.

Menu Variety
Having tried all of the dishes that have been invented especially for the English I now choose my restaurants based on local variations and curries that I haven’t heard of. I like to try new things and like the fact that the curry house is making an effort to be different rather than continuing to churn out the same old tried and tested recipes.

Those four top tips will see you OK when choosing a curry house to eat in but just to leave you on one final note. When you have made your choice it’s always good to try the Dopiaza curry as this will usually give you a good idea of the quality of the restaurant.

PAGE SPONSOR

If you have been caught speeding then for the best motoring offence solicitor look no further than the speeding solicitor himself. For top quality Ear Defenders for your gun club or band then Just Ears offer an excellent range at un beatable prices.

Apple is obviously at the forefront of technology in today’s race for supremacy in the tech war. They have recently released the new IPad. This nifty piece of equipment is set to take the world by storm and looks like it already has. What I intend to do is analyse the Apple IPad just to see what all the fuss is actually about.

First Impressions
My first impression of the Ipad was that it looked awful and was extremely overpriced. It looked like an Iphone for a giant. I couldn’t envisage myself carrying one around let alone using one yet, everybody was going mad to get their hands on one not to mention the frenzy when they finally went on sale and people queued for ridiculous amount of hours just so they could be one of the first to own one.

So what was all the fuss about?
Apart from it looking like a huge Iphone this rather clever device actually is just a big Iphone except I don’t think you can make a call from it. I could have listed all of the Ipads functionality and give it just another glowing review when in fact all it is is a glorified laptop that doesn’t require a keyboard. I am a huge Iphone fan and couldn’t live without it but truly believe that the Ipad is just one step too far and appeals to peoples posing sides rather than any practical use.

You can even purchase a keyboard for it as one of it many accessories. Forgive me if I’m being a little funny here but if it comes with a built in keyboard why would you need an external keyboard? The Iphone is extremely fragile and on a number of occasions I have dropped mine and the screen has shattered into a thousand pieces so it seems that the Ipad is just an even bigger piece of equipment to shatter into even more pieces. There is no getting round the fact that it is extremely fragile and doesn’t really offer any benefit to anybody other than giving them the status of owning the latest piece of gadgetry from Apple.

I do take my hat off to Apple for bringing us the Iphone and am looking forward to their next release but as far as their Ipad goes I don’t think the world is a better place for them releasing it and recommend that anybody thinking of buying to not. Sorry Apple.


POST SPONSORS
All that said if you really want cheap bathroom suites or just some basin mixer taps be sure to visit Bathshop321 or Tapshop321 as these guys really know what they are doing when it comes to bathrooms.

Dubai is the jewel in the crown of the United Arab Emirates, and a truly unique destination. It is an opulent playground built upon a philosophy with boundary pushing architecture and innovation at its core. What is most astounding about Dubai is the fact that for the most part it is brand new: to the extent that over the course of less than a decade, the Emirate has been transformed from a sparsely populated desert land into one of the most desirable locations on earth. It is a place of great wealth, great power and above all: great times!

Dubai as a holiday destination appeals to a broad spectrum of people, of all ages. The chances are, that if you think you might be interested in visiting Dubai then you will almost certainly enjoy a trip there. It is home to the world’s tallest building, the world’s first seven star hotel and many other world firsts alongside a wealth of shopping, dining, relaxation and diverse experiences. There are very few other places on earth where you can go from 5 star luxury hotel facilities to a Jeep safari in the desert and back again within a matter of hours.

Although it is very similar to Europe and the USA in many cultural aspects, there are however some differences and it is imperative that local laws and cultural issues are respected and adhered to, similarly it must not be forgotten that temperatures can reach very high levels. The following points should be carefully noted but by no means be a cause for concern:

The Climate

Dubai has an arid, sub-tropical climate (which is hardly surprising given that it is located with the Northern desert belt). As such temperatures can reach uncomfortable levels during certain months, between June and September for instance, the average temperature is between 39 and 41 degrees C. As such, the peak holiday season is between December and March when average temperatures are between 23 and 27 degrees: which is considerably more palatable for many Brits! If however you aren’t fazed by high temperatures, then it is worth bearing in mind that there are often incredibly good deals to be had on trips taken between June and September and the vast majority of hotels, restaurants, malls and other indoor areas are fully air conditioned.

Cultural Differences

Despite the high temperatures it is strongly recommended that you dress conservatively when out in public in Dubai, it is for instance never acceptable to wander the streets in swimwear (for men or women) and women are not permitted to go topless, even on the beach or at the pool. Revealing clothing should always be avoided to avoid causing offence to the resident, Muslim population.
Public displays of affection are frowned upon in Dubai, as has been highlighted in the news recently. The cases which have been brought to the attention of the world by the press are however extreme examples and by exercising common sense and restraint you will not encounter any trouble.

The Impact of Islam

Dubai is a predominantly Muslim place and as such Islamic customs are adhered to. One of the most prevalent repercussions of this fact is the impact of Ramadan upon the Emirate. Ramadan is a month long period of fast and it does have a bearing upon the opening hours of bars and restaurants whilst also bringing with it some other restrictions. Ramadan occurs over different dates each year; as such it is worth finding out when it takes place before booking a trip. Although visiting Dubai during Ramadan is still a thoroughly enjoyable experience and unlikely to negatively impact upon your visit, it is generally advised to avoid visiting during the religious festival if possible.

All in all, Dubai is truly incredible holiday destination which offers a perfect hybrid of Middle-Eastern and Western Cultures. The factors listed above should in no way be viewed negatively, but should simply be considered when booking or packing for what promises to be an incredible trip.

Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of OfficeYoo Office Supplies and DGOS Office Supplies Liverpool - because we all need to take a holiday at some time.

Everything you look at today seems to be getting smaller. I remember when mobile phones were as big as the old VHS top loading recorder. Both devices now, especially mobile phones can be as small as you like. In most cases the smaller the better. Why should computers be any different? Well there not. Welcome into the world the Netbook.

Netbooks were introduced as a means to browse the internet wherever and whenever you like. It seems that in today's fast moving environment convenience is becoming more and more of a necessity so speaking from experience I would like to produce my thoughts on both the Netbook and notebook to allow everybody to make their own decisions on what types of personal computer they are going to purchase.

Netbook

I purchased a Netbook for the simple reason that it was extremely small and I got rather excited at the prospect of being able to pull it out almost anywhere and not cause too much fuss or bother to anybody else. I started my search comparing all sorts of models all of which baffled me completely as I am guessing with today's technology unless you are wanting to use your system for gaming or anything else that requires high end graphics one PC is pretty much the same as another.

Anyway I made my choice and off I went home and started to play. Initially I really liked my new Netbook. It certainly ticked all the boxes and before long I was happily surfing the net on a hugely reduced screen size with no loss to quality. It wasn't long before I needed to do some real work. This is where the problems began and where I feel the Netbooks of this world really fall down. If you need to do anything other than surf the internet you are really in trouble. Having to switch from screen to screen is a nightmare. If you are programming and have to look at a lot of code the screen size just isn't practical and with most Netbook keyboards being less than half the size of a normal keyboard you can really be in trouble and will probably spend most of your time deleting and re typing.

Notebook (or Laptop)

Moving on to the trusty old notebook. These bad boys will never let you down. Reasonable screen size, nice side keyboard and in most cases just as good spec wise as any desktop machine you can't really go wrong. Comparing them to a Netbook though you have to weigh up the convenience factor. If you are on a busy train the last thing you want to pull out is a massive notebook and this is where a Netbook really comes into its own.

I suppose what I am trying to get at is that they were called Net books for a reason to surf the internet. I can honestly say whilst typing this article on my standard normal size notebook that for surfing the internet in confined spaces on the go a Netbook is definitely the way to go and for everything else i.e. a more practical solution bigger is most definitely better so get a normal notebook.

Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of Bathshop321 and Tapshop321 Uks number 1 suppliers of the best Bathroom Suites and Basin Mixer Taps

It is no surprise that the worlds greatest TV character has been voted as being none other than the one and only Homer Simpson from the hit television program The Simpsons. There are probably a hundred and one reasons why this is the case and we hope to discover just some of these reasons below. I think if we all think really hard we all know a Homer Simpson character in our own lives. Lets break it down as to why.

Homer really likes his beer and his food as so many men do however Homer takes it to the extreme. Sporting a nice beer belly Homer as so many other men do would rather swill beer and junk food down their necks rather than anything else.

Its no surprise that he doesn't enjoy work. In fact Homer is terrible at work he doesn't really understand his job and regularly gets into trouble. Whilst most men don't like their jobs not everybody gets into trouble or cant carry out their job correctly as ultimately they wouldn't be in the job for long and fact needs to separate from fiction somewhere. Typical realistic traits in Homers working like consist of always trying to find a way to do his job so he doesn't have to think about it, spending longer on breaks than actually working and hiding his mistakes by blaming somebody or something else.

OK so not every man is as lazy as Homer and yes he does take it to the extreme but how many men out there can honestly say they fully pull their weight at home? If we could see a show of hands I am betting it isn't very many. Most men are quite willing to let their wives run around after them whilst they in true Homer style sit in front of the telly eating and drinking beer.

Homer isn't the most clever person in the world and ask any woman and she will probably agree that her man isn't either. The men out there reading this will probably disagree with this statement.

So next time you are out and about take a good look around at the male population and look out for beer loving, food loving, lazy, work hating men and there you will have it your very own Homer Simpson. So to answer the original question about why has Homer Simpson been voted the worlds best TV character the answer is simply because there are so many men out there that can one hundred percent relate to him and even subliminally see themselves in the great man himself.

Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of Bathshop321 and Tapshop321 Uks number 1 suppliers of the best Bathroom Suites and Basin Mixer Taps

Every baby is different so should be treated differently. The opinions in this article worked for my child and are my opinion only. It has been proven that children like routine and from the day your baby is born all a parent wants apart from a healthy baby of course is to know when they will be getting their next full night's sleep.

It's important to decide on a fixed bedtime and then make sure you stick to it. Once you have chosen your bedtime you then need to let your baby know in various stages that you are leading up to their bedtime. I say this because all a baby knows is what we tell it. Their days are pretty much the same all day they wake up, feed, play and sleep. This cycle continues over and over. They quickly learn what to expect so it makes sense to stick to your bedtime routine and if this differs slightly at bedtime even better as it will break up their day even more and let them know that it's time for bed.

If you have decide that their bedtime is seven PM then it is a sensible idea to begin the routine at least thirty minutes before this time to allow you to fit everything in and not have to rush any of it. It's important that this time is a relaxing time so always start by turning the television off closing the curtains and generally making the surrounding environment as relaxing as possible. Dependant on your child relaxing music can sometimes help.

Lay your babies bedtime cloths out in front of the fire and run them a nice bath. There are lots of lots of bath time products you can purchase but try and choose one that is particularly for bedtime. These bath lotions will generally have ingredients in them that will help your baby relax and also aid in a more restful sleep.

No matter what age your baby is another good tip is to read them a story before bed. They may not understand a word you are saying but as long as you read it in a nice relaxing voice they will associate it with another step before they must go to sleep. Babies will associate the voice of a parent with feeling secure which will further help your child to relax. Reading to your child will also help improve their communication skills without them even really knowing it.

To finish off, again age dependant you will probably be giving your child a bottle. This can be the final stage in your routine. After their bottle you should then take your child to bed and lay them down for the evening.

It may take a few days before they get the hang of this routine but once they do when you begin the routine you will probably find that your child quickly realises what is coming next and in some instances may even fall asleep before you have finished it.

All of the above is the routine I have used on my own children and there is nothing wrong with switching any of it around or totally adapting it. The main points to take away are get a routine that suites you, stick to it for your baby's sake, keep everything as relaxed as possible and then enjoy your adult time whilst your baby is fast asleep snug and warm in his or her bed.

Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of Speeding Solicitor and Just Ears who are the UKs best motoring offence solicitor and ear defenders suppliers