There is some bad news for those of you who step into your protective overalls for a day on the construction site every morning. Research by the Construction Products Association (CPA) has shown that the construction industry is going to continue declining for three more years. Output is expected to fall by almost ten percent this year and another four percent the following year. This forecast is much grimmer than previous reports and if this decline happens as predicted, it will be the biggest decline in 30 years.Chief executive of CPA Michael Ankers said, “The speed of decline is having a dramatic effect on many parts of the construction industry and is being driven by an unprecedented reduction in private sector investment resulting from the credit crunch and economic downturn.”The credit crunch is affecting all business sectors, particularly the motor and real estate industries, and the construction industry is certainly no exception. The house building and repair sectors are the hardest hit with house starts expected to fall to their lowest level since the fifties and maintenance and home improvements expected to fall by 15 percent this year alone. In addition to this grim forecast, past construction output speaks volumes. In the last three months of 2008, construction output in the UK came to £19.3 billion which is £1.5 billion down from the same time period in 2007. However, the total output for 2008 was pretty much on par with the total output for 2007.Yet, construction output in some areas is likely to increase in the following years. Rail construction work should increase dramatically in the next five years; the CPA report has predicted that it will increase by 190%. In addition to this, public construction that is not housing-related will go up by over 20 percent in the next two years. Michael Ankers has asserted that the only sectors where construction output is forecast to increase are linked to public spending.Spending on construction for education is expected to increase by nearly 30 percent in the next two years, mainly thanks to the Building Schools for the Future programme. The construction industry is relying heavily on public spending during the recession. Luckily for those employed in the industry, spending on public construction projects creates significantly more employment than other sectors of the industry and mainly British products are used. This is truly the silver lining of the recession storm cloud for the industry and the well-developed British public sector is to thank for this.
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3 Reasons Why You Should Join a Fitness Boot Camp
In Toronto, there are many reasons why someone should join a professional, fitness boot camp, and in this article we will try to give you three main ones, you should wisely consider. But first of all, let us clarify – what is a fitness boot camp?A boot camp is a place where individuals can enjoy different kinds of group exercise, and various fitness programs outdoors. Fitness camps includes traditional fitness exercises, and body weight training as well, and the main goal is to get your body in shape, to become (or stay) fit; lose weight and feel and look better. Healthy looking body, and good overall health and condition are the main reasons why women should join a good fitness location. They are very effective, they give excellent and visible results, and most importantly, you will be supervised by doctors and professional trainers who will help you achieve your fitness goal. The fitness regime in a boot camp is quite advanced, which means you will be working out without long pauses and rest.There are three very good and important reasons why women should consider joining boot camp in order to stay healthy and fit.1st reason – to look better, to feel better and improve your self-esteem and confidenceEveryone looks much better once he/she gets in shape. Let’s face it – everything looks better on a well toned body. Also, training and exercise will improve your mood and help you feel calmer, and happier on daily basis. Exercise will help you fight or prevent anxiety, stress and even depression, and endorphin released in your body after exercising will improve your mood and make you feel energetic and vibrant. Women especially take care of their bodies and muscles, and after 30, fitness should be on every ladies mind. That is why you should do your best to fit the visit to a boot camp to your schedule, and start actually taking good care of your body.2nd reason – to prevent various diseases like high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease, osteoporosis, back and muscle pain and of course – to prevent obesityScientists have proven that physical activity on daily basis, can indeed help prevent risk of many diseases know to us today. It can lower your blood pressure, if you have hypertension, it prevents stroke and various heart diseases because it lowers your pressure and at the same time strengthens your heart (the muscle), improves blood flow in a body, helps bone formation and strengthening, improves your flexibility and therefore prevents back or muscle pain. Obesity is also a huge problem of a modern man and our society. That is why people should prevent it and fight it, by choosing proper exercise, professional training, good diet and professional supervision.3rd reason – to save money, and invest wisely in your healthFitness boot camps are not only “money well spent” – it is a smart investment in prolonging good health and preventing onset of diseases. If you decide to choose to join a local hot spot look for a professional, certified instructor who will teach the class. Also, you can easily fit this activity in your schedule, and be sure that results will be visible and excellent within four to eight weeks. In these specialized locations, the exercise regime is tailor made to suit individual needs, and to help you lose weight and get in shape, and the most important thing is that the whole program is designed according to your needs and fitness requirements.There is a wide range of different types of boot camps available in Toronto: they are either focused on specific demographic or on specific goals members might achieve. Most popular are women boot camps, where women go to work out, get in shape and improve their health and physical condition (and also to lose weight). Fat burning, weight loss boot camps are extremely popular, and people go there with one main idea – to burn calories and lose weight. They are created to train your body and your mind as well. They help you incorporate fitness into your daily regime, they also promote good dietary habits and embrace healthier living lifestyle. That is why every woman should start consider thinking about her body and soul, and join a boot camp and start living, working out and eating healthier!
Americans Say Education Plays A Major Role In Their Voting Choices
No matter which candidate is elected president Nov. 3rd 2020, college students have definite ideas about what areas the new administration should focus on early in its term. Seventy-percent of the respondents to a recent survey of college students rated the economy the highest when asked how much focus the new president should place on a number of issues. This was followed by healthcare (60%), education (57%), and alternative sources of energy (52%). Americans place quality education at the top of their list of priorities, and they want their elected leaders to do the same. According to a national public opinion poll education is a hot-button issue: Americans want their elected leaders to produce results, not rhetoric. They also want leaders who will make education funding recession proof. The poll shows that Americans oppose any cuts to education funding, even at the cost of deep cuts to other services they deem essential-services such as healthcare, Social Security, law enforcement, and roads and transportation. When asked to name one or two priorities that government should shield from spending cuts, 53 percent of Americans cite education and schools. That percentage equals the combined total of all other responses, including healthcare (18 percent), law enforcement (8 percent), Social Security (6 percent), and the military (2 percent). All major demographic categories – including senior citizens – support education funding over every other spending priority. Americans, however, recognize that in the current economic climate there will be little or no new funding for education, especially at the state level. Nearly two-fifths (38 percent) of Americans would make early childhood education either their first or second choice to protect from budget cuts, followed by reduced class size (35 percent), teacher training (32 percent), and teacher pay (25 percent).Education ranks second only to the economy and jobs on the public’s list of most serious concerns, even outranking terrorism and security. Americans believe that quality education for all is a national priority. More than 4 out of 5 (85 percent) say achieving this goal is personally important to them, and more than 9 out of 10 (92 percent) Americans say that providing all children with a quality education is an attainable goal, not a pipe dream. Americans care about school quality for practical reasons and out of concern for their community. They believe that quality public schools build stronger families (24 percent), improve the local economy (20 percent), and reduce crime rates (15 percent). Some 42 percent of Americans say their decisions about where to live were influenced by the quality of schools in the community. We have made a national commitment to hold every student and every school accountable for measurable improvements in learning. Today it seems all political candidates – whether vying for an office in city hall, a seat in the state legislature, or a chance to go to Washington – claim to be education candidates. But the public has very clear ideas on what education candidates should be doing and how elected officials will be held accountable. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Americans say a candidate’s stance on education is either one of the most important factors or a very important factor influencing their vote. Even 59 percent of those without school-age children agree. Americans feel much more favorably toward candidates who believe that education decisions are best made by parents, teachers, and principals (88 percent); who understand education issues (87 percent); who will protect education from budget cuts (86 percent); and who want education to focus on the basics (86 percent). In contrast, Americans are far less likely to favor candidates who suggest visionary programs without first explaining how they intend to fund and implement them (40 percent), who support vouchers (39 percent), or who favor giving mayors or city councils direct control over schools (38 percent). Americans have strikingly consistent views about how to improve public education nationwide. In each of the past two polls, nearly one-third of survey participants (29 percent) rated teacher quality as the most important factor in improving student learning, with equalized funding between rich and poor schools as the second most important factor (16 percent). In this year’s poll, 15 percent of Americans also cite quality early childhood education for all children as an important factor in improving student learning, 12 percent say reduced class size, and another 12 percent want all children to be able to read by the fourth grade. However, a scant 5 percent believe that using taxpayer money for private school options will improve the quality of education. One reason Americans support quality teaching is that many are teachers or know teachers. Three out of 10 Americans (29 percent) are teachers or have close family members who are current or former teachers. Survey results indicate this “teacher” group could be a powerful voting bloc; nearly three-quarters say that a politician’s education platform plays a major role in their voting choices. In comparison, approximately two-thirds of all Americans say education plays a major role in their voting choices. When it comes to assessing school performance, voters value information on teacher quality (76 percent) and student literacy (74 percent) the most, followed by information about books and other learning tools (74 percent), school budgets (67 percent), comparisons of local schools to other schools in the state (66 percent), and data on school safety (63 percent).Other survey findings:- While the college students surveyed rely on a wide range of sources for information on the candidates, by far the most popular are television (83% of students) and Internet news sites (73%). However, college students believe the most reliable source of information is found on a political candidate’s own web site (26%), followed by television (23%).
– Direct mailings (12%) and blogs (10%) were the least used.
– 88% of the eligible voters surveyed say they intend to vote in the upcoming presidential election.The national public opinion poll is based on a survey of 1,050 voting-age Americans. It includes analysis of a base of 800 voters and an oversample of 125 registered African-American voters and 125 registered Latino voters. It also includes information from three focus groups of whites, African Americans, and Latinos, with and without children. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent.