Why Lidl is great

Lidl is great because when you get there you quickly realise that there is absolutely no choice whatsoever. You buy pretty much what the guys in the boardroom want you to buy.

It has just won a Which consumer award for best value for money, and you know what? In this time of near recession, the best thing about Lidl is that the bill is pretty much half of what you can expect to pay in Tescos et al.

And when you think about Tesco suing people for making critical comments about them in the media (a journalist commented on their tax practices, and is now facing a million dollar lawsuit), and Sainsbury's messing up their website, Lidl comes off pretty well.

So I propose a new movement. I want everyone who hasn't tried Lidl to try it at least once. Hit the big guys where it hurts. And when your snobby friends talk about how M&S are the best etc. ask them to try Lidl fruit. It is real fruit, and half the price of M&S fruit.

So tell everyone, go to Lidl. It is the best. Which magazine think so, and it is about time value for money was seen as a good thing.

How to get your baby or toddler to sleep.

There are hundreds of books out there at the moment that promise to help you manage your child's sleeping. There are e-books too, as well as e-courses. You can even buy videos that show you how to do it.



Because sleep deprivation affects behaviour (both yours and your child's) and heightens stress levels generally, if you don't get it right, your family life will be affected. The problem is that every child is different, right?



Wrong. There is one simple method to sleep train your child that works. And, if used early enough (while the child is under two years of age) it is guaranteed to solve poor sleep habits for good.


And here it is.


All you have to do is leave them to cry.


Put them down to sleep calmly and softly after reading them a story. Then walk calmly out of the room. If they are too young to get out of bed then wait two minutes (while they cry) and then go into the room and soothe them. Don't pick them up. Soothe them and then leave the room.



Then:

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. At two/five minute intervals.

Until they fall asleep. They will stop crying eventually and go to sleep. Trust me.

If they are a bit older, and can get out of their bed, pick them up, and gently tell them that they are going to sleep. Then return them to bed. When they get out again, just say 'night, night', and then return them to bed. When they get out again, say nothing, and return them to bed. Then:

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Until they fall asleep. And they will fall asleep. Because children do go to sleep, especially when they realise that their parents aren't stressed about it, that they aren't angry at their child, that all they want as parents is for their child to just go to sleep like a normal human being.

If you stay calm and just expect sleep to happen, following the steps above, your child will learn to sleep. This is a guaranteed method.




(A caveat. Never, ever, leave a child to cry for longer than ten minutes. Ever. You know it is wrong, so don't do it.)

How to Survive your LSAT

How to survive your LSAT Part One – Logical Reasoning Section

Much dreaded by aspiring lawyers, the LSAT strikes fear into their hearts simply because it is like nothing else they have had to face before. The questions in the LSAT aren’t like the test questions they faced at school, and there is a definite score you have to get in the LSAT before the law school clerks even bother to look at your file.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With careful planning and a cool head, you can give yourself every chance to pass the LSAT. Sure, there is no real knowledge you can cram on before the day of the test, but the style of the questions is definitely something you can prepare for.

The reason the LSAT is so heavily dependent on logic (two logical reasoning sections as opposed to, say, one for analytical reasoning) as a questioning framework is because legal minds are purely logical. They don’t get emotional, they don’t worry over small details, it’s all about cause and effect, facts and outcomes. There are two logical reasoning sections in the LSAT, with 24-26 items, and in these sections the LSAT will ask you to find errors in logic. There may even be a third logical reasoning section as an experimental question.

So the very best thing you can do to prepare for the logical reasoning sections of your LSAT exam is become an expert at solving logical problems.

Aim to:
Take a course in logical reasoning. This is essential. If you don’t do this, you will fail. Learn about the major fallacies. Then, try out some test LSAT logical reasoning questions on the Internet or in a textbook.
Keep taking sample LSAT papers and get used to reading the logic questions so you know what they are asking you to do. A major frustration for candidates is failing by not answering the actual question..
Remember one crucial thing; only respond to the facts in the LSAT logic questions. Do not allow your own ideas and preconceptions to come into things.

Logical reasoning in the LSAT is challenging but not impossible. Like all skills, the more you practise, the more proficient you will get. And if you want any chance at all when it comes to dealing with what is potentially over half of the LSAT paper, you have to be able to ‘do logic’ like clockwork.