Cultured Views

Selling online

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Once you have decided to set up your own online business the next most vital thing is to provide a facility for your customers to buy your products and pay for your services. You need to provide a facility that not only offers ease of purchase but security of payment. Here is the way to achieve this.

AShop Commerce provide shopping cart software that will help to make your business a success. This shopping cart software is easily installed and is not web based so as an online proprietor you only have to be concerned with dealing with the issues that your customers will be interested in.

Their ecommerce shopware is relatively affordable for you to create the online store you want your customers to have; it is simple to use and they offer you packages to suit your budget. One important aspect is to provide your clients with a variety of features to utilise, particularly secure online payment facilities.

AShop Commerce promise to provide full back up and support to all their merchant clients; you will no doubt offer your customers full customer service so you can expect the same from AShop Commerce. They will be your best friends in your online business.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Northern Ireland and Catalonia - different countries, same problem

Whilst on our recent holiday around Switzerland and Italy we spent the last night of the trip in the small Italian port of Savona.  The small hotel we stayed in was owned and operated by an English woman who had been there for 36 years. While checking us in she asked us where we were from and Arnold replied that he was Belfast born.

‘Ahh, an Irishman!’ she cried. Arnold replied that he was not Irish and that he was British (Belfast is in Northern Ireland, therefore, the UK). This lady carried on saying that Dublin and Belfast were both the same and that the people of Northern Ireland were as good as Irish. ’It’s all the same in the end!’ she said. By now Arnold was getting rather annoyed with her attitude and I even felt my hackles rising…and I’m Australian!

At that moment I wondered what Arnold’s mother would have said to this woman seeing as his parents consider themselves British and Loyalists to the core. Just as well she wasn’t there or that woman would have gotten a mouthful!Try calling a Welshman english and you will get an even more interesting reaction!

Of course the people of Northern Ireland (they hate the term Northern Irish) are basically 60% British and 40% Irish - the 60% descend from the Scottish settlers whilst the remainder are of Irish descent. Two different peoples, different dialects, different cultures and customs. But they all co-exist in Northern Ireland.

It got me thinking about the situation where we live. We are just over the north-eastern border where France meets Spain. Just south of that border is the province of Catalonia. To those unaware of the difference they would just consider it to be north eastern Spain and the people there to be Spanish. It is not Spain, it is Catalonia and the people are Catalan. They speak Catalan, not Spanish.

 If you want to have an argument about this I can introduce you to a few Catalans’ and they will happily go a few rounds with you - but I wouldn’t recommend such an experience. That woman in Savona would have used the same ignorant attitude with a Catalan guest of hers…”You are all Spanish, you are all the same!’…they aren’t all the same. And it is rude and ignorant to argue such a point with a guest as well. We meet many Catalan people who come to our hotel and several of them have made it clear that they are not Spanish, who are we to contradict them?

Well, that english lady in Savona would have. And god help her if she ever does!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Update on William

William has been back in Australia for three weeks now and has settled back into life there with a vengeance. Even though I am missing him like crazy it’s great to see that he is so happy…and busy. Most people lose contact with their friends when they go away for an extended period of time, but Will’s didn’t. He maintained contact with all his mates over the past four years and they have simply taken up where they left off. I suppose there’s SOME good to MSN messaging.

He has hit the party circuit bigtime and is constantly on the go socially. But he is like that and that’s why here in France he was like a caged lion so much. Not being allowed to go to school here, thanks to the local French education authority, he never established a circle of friends. And to William his friends are his lifeline. But Aussie’s are more sociable and outgoing than the French and the people here, espcecially the teenagers, were never going to suit him.

He is all set to start his final year of school at Feb 2008 and has recently enlisted in the Army Reserves to earn cash in his spare time. He also rather likes the uniform and the outdoor aspect of A Res life. I understand because I also served in the Army Reserves back in 1982.

In all, William’s return to Oz has worked out to be the best possible thing he has ever done. he’s happy and I’m proud.

Popularity: 13% [?]