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Understanding How to Locate Wheelchair Accessible Hotels in the United Kingdom

If you are in a wheelchair and are looking for wheelchair accessible hotels in the United Kingdom, you should know that the United Kingdom has a very strong recent history as a country that is sympathetic to disability rights for individuals. They have instituted nationwide laws to protect both their citizens and visitors from discrimination because of their disabilities and demand access for those with a range of physical disabilities as well.

The country defines people with disabilities as those individuals whose physical and mental impairments have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal, day-to-day activities. They are classified as disabled from the moment they are medically diagnosed.

The DDA and The Equality Act 210

In the United Kingdom, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) gave disabled people rights of access to goods, facilities and services which include tourist accommodations, and also banned discrimination against people associated with disabled people (caregivers, friends and family) and people presumed to be disabled. These rights are enforceable by any individual through the Courts.

The country found however that the DDA did not go far enough so it enacted the Equality Act 2010 to consolidate and strengthen all anti-discrimination legislation including that detailed in the DDA. This legislation is much more detailed and encompassing.

The Equality Act Applies to All Hotels in the UK

The wording says to all businesses that if they provide any sort of accommodation, serviced or self-catering, the Equality Act 2010 applies to you. The business or person must provide access to goods, facilities and services including tourist accommodation and ensure that they are treated no less favourably than other customers. The Act protects anyone who is disabled, is thought to be disabled or is associated with anyone who is disabled.

Make Sure the Hotel You Choose has What You Need

Even though all UK hotels have disability access, it varies greatly and some hotels can meet the needs of any disabled guests while others can only meet the needs of some. Therefore, you need to shop for hotels in the UK that are specifically designed to cater to the access you want and to the level of disabilities you have. And when you review the hotels they offer you need to have certain questions answered about them. These questions include:

Is ample disabled parking available at your hotel at all times?

“Do you hotel provide services that are specifically designed for the disabled?

Do you provide disabled hotels rooms on the ground floor or right next to the elevators?

Do you provide a service for disabled guests where you move the beds and other furniture in your hotel rooms to make the room more comfortable and accessible?

Are the beds in your hotel rooms easily accessible from a standard wheelchair?

Is there a wheel chair accessible shuttle to nearby tourist attractions and public transportation?

Getting these questions answered in advance can save you problems during your trip.

Reservation site handiscover.com that focuses on hotels for disabled guests, reviews and offers hotels to wheelchair guests that are based on different levels of accessibility from fully accessible to partially. They can ensure that you get the proper room for your visit to the UK and many other places.

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Mortgage Lenders in Florida and What to Consider Before Applying

Buying a house looks super exciting the face of it, and the truth is that there are many aspects of buying a property that can most definitely be exciting. From the moving process to deciding on paint colours, there is a lot to deal with. With this being said however, there are many aspects of this process which are frustrating and difficult and you must be prepared for it. One such difficulty can arise when the time comes to look for mortgage lenders in Florida alone there are many, many lenders, but getting the right one is not always easy.

Before you start looking out for a mortgage lender, and even before you start looking for the mortgage itself, there are many ting which you will need to consider, and here are some of the most important considerations to make.

Whites Your Credit Score

Nobody wants to face the embarrassment of being turned down for a mortgage, especially if you have already found a house that you wish to buy. One of the key reasons why a lender may turn down your application for a mortgage, is the health of your credit rating. Your credit rating, or credit score, is a universal measure which essentially tells financial institutions how trustworthy you are in terms of lending money. A bad credit rating can appear if you have had issues with debt in the past or unpaid loans, it can however, also be as a result of never having had credit before. Make sure that you know what your credit score is, before you apply for a mortgage, to save yourself any disappointment.

What Can You Afford?

When it comes to budgeting how much money you can afford each month to pay for your mortgage, it is really important that you are completely honest with yourself. Very often people will take on large mortgages just because they are offered them, without much thought for their monthly bills, and how they will be able to afford the repayments long term. It is said that 60% of your salary should be put towards rent or a mortgage, and the monthly bills, any higher than this and you will run the risk of giving yourself headaches when it comes to repaying your mortgage. Make sure that you are brightly honest about what you can afford to pay.

Understanding the Mortgage

The final consideration which you need to make is whether or not you understand the different mortgages. There are many mortgage products which banks and lenders use, each with their own benefits and disadvantages. In order to avoid being hoodwinked or sign up for a mortgage which you don’t understand, it is very important that you spend the time on learning about the different mortgages, and work out which one best suits you. Some mortgages are fixed for a term, others are based on market value and others require the interest to be paid first, do your research and make sure that you know what you are singing up for.

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The Worst Lottery Winner Horror Stories

For most people, winning the lottery is a dream come true. Overnight, all of your worries have seemingly been erased and a whole world of opportunity has opened up to you. From fast cars to luxury holidays and dream houses, you now have the money to do it all. While this is very true in the majority of cases, unfortunately for some it does not turn out like that.

In rare cases, the dream of a lottery win can soon descend into a real-life nightmare. From grasping friends, greedy family, and strangers all desperate to access your new-found wealth to more self-inflicted issues, navigating the minefield of a lottery win can be too much for some.

Here, we take a look at some of the worst lottery winner horror stories in history.

Marie Holmes

Before winning the lottery, Marie Holmes was a normal person who worked a standard job at her local Walmart. Her life changed for the worse overnight when she discovered her random numbers in the lottery had netted her $188 million! The fortune soon dwindled due to poor financial investments and the multiple lawsuits that she had to fight. Added on to this was the fact that her boyfriend had to be bailed out of jail numerous times, which ate into her money. By the end, she was emotionally and financially drained. 

Curtis Sharp

Back in 1982, Curtis Sharp won big on the lottery. Scooping $5 million, which was a huge sum back then, he soon set about spending his wealth. Sharp certainly enjoyed himself and was thought to have spent $1 million each year after the win to see it all gone within five years. Much went on cars, women, houses, and gifts to family, and what started as a massive amount soon trickled away. Now a minister in Tennessee, his advice to future lottery winners is to think carefully before starting to spend. His story is certainly a cautionary one of the trouble and dangers inherent in many lottery winner horror stories. 

Billie Bob Harrell Jr

Another resident of the US who thought his prayers had been answered was Billie Bob Harrell Jr, who scooped an insane $30 million in 1997. After quitting his job at the Home Depot, he planned to retire from work and live the high life. Not wasting any time, he took his family on a Hawaiian vacation before buying houses and cars.

Unfortunately, this was about as good as it got for him. Beginning to get lots of unwanted attention from strangers after his money, he also made a poor financial investment that saw him lose a lot of his fortune before his wife left him.

Tonda Lynn Dickerson

When Tonda Lynn Dickerson found out that she had won $10 million on the lottery, she was working as a Waffle House waitress. What makes this story interesting is that all the other Waffle House waitresses also thought that their luck was in due to a verbal agreement between them. The waitresses claimed that they had agreed to split the winnings between everyone. Tonda didn’t remember this agreement, however, and kept all the money for herself!

The other waitresses were furious and sued her for the money that they thought she owed them. Though she won all the cases against her, the stress left her worn out. Figuring that she needed to find a way to protect her assets going forward, she created a corporation to this effect. The only problem came when she gave a gift in shares through the corporation – the IRS hammered her for around $1 million in taxes!

Abraham Shakespeare

Winning $30 million in 2006, Abraham Shakespeare has a tale as tragic as a play from the Bard of the same surname. A decent chap by all accounts, he suffered from people leeching off his winnings and stealing away his cash. He also gave away a lot of his fortune to people who needed it most, which saw it dwindle quickly. However, his real undoing was getting mixed up with Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore.

Moore approached him on the pretense of being interested in helping him write a book on the dangers that lottery winners face. Agreeing to the proposal, she gradually took over all his property and money as his de facto financial advisor. After a heated argument one time, Moore shot and killed Shakespeare.

Lottery victory is still a dream for many

Of course, the above tales are rare, and for many lottery winners it really is a dream come true. As long as you are prepared for what follows and how to handle it, then you should be fine. Be careful about who you trust, who you tell about your win, and your level of spending. With a sensible approach, you should live a happy life with your new fortune and avoid becoming one of the horror stories in the news.

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Tips For Saving Money When Buying Diamond Jewelry

There is no question that diamonds are great looking jewelry. They sparkle. They look elegant. They can go well with any formal occasion like weddings and other events. The only downside is the price. Considering that they are really durable and they look amazing, diamonds are pegged at a really high price.

This could be a tough decision if you want to give one to your special someone but you are on a tight budget. Here are some ways to reduce the cost when you check out diamond jewelry as a gift.

Carat and size are not the same

Just because you are giving a 1.00-carat diamond, it does not mean that it is bigger than a 0.90-carat diamond. Carat is related to weight and not the size. Your partner might not be particular about the carat, but the size. A bigger piece of diamond jewelry could be better if the receiver wants to at least brag about having received one.

Compare options

If you think one store offers quality diamonds but at a really high price, you might want to look at other choices and compare. The same jewelry might be there or at least one of similar design, but the price is lower. You also need to understand the price per carat and decide whether it is really worth going for a higher carat when the price difference is too high.

Check out clarity

You need to check the grade of clarity first because, sometimes, a piece of jewelry looks better if you consider clarity, but it has a lower price tag. It depends on how it looks in the end. Therefore, you should not automatically conclude that more expensive pieces of jewelry are better.

It doesn’t have to be round

When it comes to diamonds, a round, brilliant cut is highly preferred. It is the most expensive so people think that it is the best cut. However, it is not necessarily the most visually appealing. It depends on the person wearing it. Therefore, you don’t have to stick with round cut if you think there are better designs out there. A cheaper princess cut that looks better aesthetically could be your choice. You must also consider what you personally like or the preference of the person receiving it.

Don’t force yourself

After looking for ways to save money, you might still think that diamonds are expensive. If so, don’t force yourself to buy one. There could be other milestones in life where diamond jewelry could be given. You might also be more financially stable at that time. However, if you think that you can afford one now, look at the choices at Patrick Saada and have a blast choosing.

 

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The Beginner’s Guide To Starting A Family Tree

It might be regarded as a traditional activity, but the days of building up a family tree are certainly not over. In fact, some would argue that it’s completely on-trend, especially when you consider how much easier it is to find out information about all of the relatives that belong in it.

However, when you’re first starting out, it can be easy to draw a few blanks after you have listed your immediate family. This is the reason this guide has been put together, as we take a look at some of the best tips to get going once you start your family tree.

Taking advantage of a people search service

For the family tree enthusiast, a people search service has been something of a game changer. The ability to type in a person’s name and several required details means that information can be returned on a whim.

It could be argued that this functionality has always existed through social media, but as anyone trying to find a person with a generic name will testify, it’s never that easy. The fact that people search services allow such drilled-down filtering makes the whole process a lot easier – and you can start to put together your family tree quicker.

Always work backwards

One of the most common mistakes that people make when putting together a family tree is not working from the right point in time. If you want to start from 1901, it’s going to be very difficult to find much information regarding that era.

Instead, work from the current year. By doing this, you have information about at least one person, and you can then work backwards from that point on.

Has anything been done in the past?

There’s nothing worse than investing hours upon hours into your family tree, only to realize that somebody has already made a start. The person who has done some work on it may have done so years ago, and you may not even know them. It’s for this reason that you may have to dig deep and ask distant family members, or try one of the online services which allow people to register research interests.

Gather documentation accordingly

While a large part of building your family tree will be asking questions to family members, and maybe even historians, you will also have to gather a lot of documentation along your way. After all, there are only so many generations that are going to be alive, and even then not many of these family members are going to have all of the answers.

As such, you need to search high and low for all of the right documentation. This is going to come in the form of marriage certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, records from the military and church, tax office records and umpteen other sources. You may even want to dig out newspaper archives to see if anything has been published there which can help your plight.

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Repair Your Online Reputation by Responding to the 5 Google Review Types

If you want to learn how to repair your online reputation, you must first understand how important doing so actually is. Every time you respond to a review, you showcase your brand. You focus on quality control, perform damage control, take part in free marketing and advertising, and essentially have an opportunity to make things better. But this means providing the right response at the right time. Looking specifically at Google reviews, you will quickly find that there are five many types, and they all require a different approach.

Repair Your Online Reputation for the 5 Review Types

The “I love you!” type. This is the ideal customer. They are incredibly happy and go out of their way to tell others about this. Unfortunately, they can also come across as slightly over the top, and perhaps even fake. Combat this by responding to them in a unique way each time. Be brief and remember that customers will read your response.

The “I’m not sure” type. This is generally a three star review. Some things are good, but there are some things they aren’t 100% happy with and that means they may not recommend you to others. You must see these reviews as beneficial, however, because they showcase to you where you can improve. In your response, be thankful for the comments. If you have done or are doing something to address their complaints, let them know about this. Document what is being said and use it to improve your business.

The genuine complaint type. This is a one star review and it is honest and genuine. Perhaps you served your customer food that was cold. You must see this review for what it is: one last chance to make things right. Start by apologizing unreservedly. Be honest about what happened in a concise manner and offer the customer something in return. Show that you truly care. Keep a record of what was said, so that the issue doesn’t happen again.

The competition type. This is a one star review, but it is fake, possibly left by the competition. If defamatory or libelous, do seek legal advice. If you can prove the review is left by the competition, it will be in violation of the Google Review Policy and can be reported. Flag the review and be ready to wait a while before it is fixed.

The illegal type. These are also fake reviews, and they will accuse you of engaging in illegal practices, such as hiring illegal workers or not having W-2 in place. You must seek legal advice in this case.

Tips to Respond Properly at the Right Time

Overall, the first three reviews are the ones you will receive the most of. It was found that 57% of people complain because of the way employees behaved towards them. This means that your focus should at all times be on delivering excellent customer service by having properly trained staff in place. Also make sure that you respond quickly to all reviews, and monitor whether there is a pattern.

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Working From Phone – A New Freelance Revolution

“iphone” (CC BY 2.0) by Sole Treadmill

It’s undeniable that personal technology now permeates every aspect of our day-to-day lives. Recent app technology allows our phones and laptops to aid us with almost every daily activity. There is quite possibly an app for everything and anything you can think of, meaning more of us can work, socialise, shop or even travel the world, from the palm of our hands. Today, this has bred a new phenomena – those who work from their phones. Internet and application technology, has significantly increased the number of freelancers in the past three decades. New trends in the cyber community allow almost anyone, anywhere, and with any level of technical experience to make a quick-buck, by just downloading the right apps. Let’s take a look at how they’re doing it.

Surveys and Opinions

Everyone has an opinion, right? If you’re able to answer that question – you’ve proved the point. Expressing our thoughts online, via social media platforms and online forums, is an extremely popular phenomena. More than one billion people across the world use Facebook and every second over 6,000 tweets are published. Harnessing people’s want to connect and communicate with each other has broadened and diversified the app market. App developers have been noticing this trend, and with data collection promptly becoming one of the most lucrative resources on the planet, there are new methods of selling opinions for cash. Various apps now offer customers cheques in return for surveys and opinions. You can even have your say on major political campaigns, jury trials and help create concepts for large fortune companies. This phenomena has altered not only the way we can generate an income, but also the way we value opinions and ideas.

Shopping

Making money by shopping doesn’t immediately make sense. Spending cash usually decreases our bank balances, and definitely doesn’t increase our income. However, there are now a variety of smartphone and laptop apps that provide cash for those who spend on certain products. Tailored for the user via their data history, there’s an option to make money buying the things you already spend your cash on. Many apps sell contracts to large corporations in return for data, raising some ethical questions. But either way, thousands are now downloading apps just like these for quick cash and convenience, and all from the comfort of your phone.

“Shopping trolleys” (CC BY 2.0) by Polycart​

Gaming

As a recreational activity, gaming has not always been deemed profitable. Take a glance at YouTube and you’ll find thousands of gaming bloggers making an income from tutorials and video commentaries. But, for the non-professional player, new technological trends allow almost anyone gaming to make money. Players of Second Life can purchase Linden Dollars. The game promotes virtual trading; players can sell content, clothes and even perform at rock concerts – all virtually, of course – for money. While the real world around you ticks by, you can be safe inside your phone, raking in the dollars online.

There are various gaming sites that offer cash prizes and draws daily. Casino review sites such as Bonus.ca help players find instant sign-up bonuses for slot or blackjack games and free spins at a site like Leo Vegas – more details here.

There are of course more advanced ways to generate money online. App development has increased the potential for companies and users to alter ways in which we use information and data to make money.