Tabulating data easily - Creating a table in Ms Word

If your have a lot of data that needs to be put in form of a simple database or you just need to list different but related things together, you can create tables using Ms Word.

To create a table in Ms Word:
1. Click the Table menu on the Standard Toolbar and then select the Insert option.
2. Select the Table option to display the Insert Table dialog box.
3. Select the number of rows and columns required and whether the cells in the table should be of fixed size, should fit the size of the text inserted, or should fit the window size.
4. Click OK to create the desired table.

You can now proceed with entering your data into the table. You can further enhance how your table looks by selecting different borders and shadings. You can also add or delete the number of columns and rows in the table.

Cropping an image in Adobe ImageReady

If you have a picture in which you look very pretty but something in the background does not look that pleasing, you can crop the picture to highlight only that part and cut out the rest of the background. You can do so very easily with the Adobe ImageReady software.

Open the picture you want to crop and then select the Crop Tool icon on the Toolbar. Notice that the mouse pointer turns into a crop tool now. Start from the top of your image and highlight the part that you want to highlight. Keep your mouse pointer pressed as you select the desired part of the image. Once the area to be cropped is selected, double click it to crop the image. Now you only see the part of the image you wanted to show. Save this version of the image and you are ready to share it with your friends.

Scintillating Beauty of Cayo Guillermo

Cayo Guillermo is one of the most beautiful islands of the Jardines del Rey archipelago, with only 13 square kilometres of surface. It has three beaches out of which Playa Pilar is the most scintillating. It has a total length of four kilometres The greenery and stunning beauty of this sandy island has been described in the work of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, the ‘Islands in the Stream’. The sand dunes of this cay, that can be as high as 15 meters, are one of the natural elements that make it beautiful.

Natural Beauty of the Cays

Cayo Guillermo and the Santa Maria National Park are a part of the Sabana-Camaguey group of cays, situated to the North of the Ciego de Avila Province. The beauty of these cays is especially alluring to nature lovers as they have a very rich fauna and flora that is similar to that of the Bahamas. Numerous colonies of pink flamingos add to its scenic beauty. Apart from its endemic bird fauna, it also flaunts a large population of migratory birds that seek these cays for nesting. Hence, the best way to appreciate the nature of these places is by taking walk or horseback tours, or excursions.

Scenic Places Neighboring Cayo Guillermo

Tourists can select from different trips that the tour operators have on offer. These are mostly one-day or two-day trips. A one-day package tour to Havana offered by Thomas Cook would cost around £250 for two. It would include a coach transfer to the Cayo Coco airport and flight tickets to Havana. It would also include a tour guide, a walking tour of the place, part coach or driving tour and lunch. For the return trip it would include, the return flight tickets and a transfer to the hotel. In case you don’t have enough time to visit all the places that Havana has on offer in a single day, you can visit various tourist websites that are available on the internet and view its pictures.

Adventure Trip Options

To get your adrenaline pumping, this cay offers the Le Guillermo jungle tours and underwater snorkelling. The jungle tour is a two-hour trip where you get to explore the mangroves on self-driven speedboats travelling through a web of channels.

If you fancy swimming in between colourful fish, then snorkelling in the blue waters of Cayo Guillermo is a better option for you. During this trip, you follow the guide in a convoy until you reach the starting point. Once you are there, the guide swims deep into the water to annoy the fish so that they swim up to the surface and show their vibrant colours to you. So do make sure to carry your camera when you decide to take this trip. Another good part of this trip is that you get to keep the snorkel as a gift.

These trips can cost you around $39 USD daily and can be booked through the hotel you stay in. These trips take about 3 hours of time.

Attractions Offered by the Hotels

The packages offered by the hotels in the Cayos are all inclusive, with some entertainment activities, kayaking and pedalos in the day time and cultural shows every night. These hotels also provide you with pool and lobby bars, and night clubs.

These activities and the picturesque locales should be enough to keep you occupied during your trip. If not, you can also take various excursions on offer by the local tour operators to swim with dolphins or to visit neighbouring places.

For the Nature Lovers

If you are a nature lover, a horse ride around the island is highly recommended during early morning or late afternoon. It costs you around 5 Convertible Cuban Peso or CUC and takes about an hour. If you book it through the people at the Melia Resort it may cost you around 10 CUC.

Banana Boat Ride

At the beach, you can take a banana boat ride that will cost you around 5 CUC.

Catch Them Fresh

The Melia Resort has a pier extending 100m into the water that is used for fishing. The locals at this spot catch fish with only a wire and hook, so you need to carry a fishing rod with you. The rod need not be of the highest quality since the locals may ask you for it once you are done with fishing. If they respond to you in a friendly and helpful manner you may not mind giving the rod away.

Up, Up, Up in the Air

To get an aerial view of the island, you may take a flying boat trip of 10 to 15 minutes. It also has an operator onboard to guide you. It may cost you around 30 CUC. You can find the boat operators at the Cayo Guillermo beach.

Sun, Sand and Food

You can travel to the Playa Pillar beach from Melia CG by either train or taxi. It costs around 5 CUC each. You can book your travel from your Melia hotel or take the bus or train from a nearby place to the Melia and then get a taxi to the beach.

Since there is so much to see and experience at the beach, you must spend at least a day at this beach. Though there are huts available to take shelter from the sun, the recommended time to visit the beach is around 9 to 10 am. You may want to take a lounge chair for 1 CUC at the beach to relax. The beach also has a snack bar at which beer is available at 1 CUC and snacks such a as fillet of shrimps, fish and lobster are available.

You can go snorkeling around the Media Luna or the half moon island on a boat or a catamaran for 11 CUC. The island has the second largest barrier reel in the world and has an amazing display of aquatic life. You must get some bananas or bread with you to feed them. You may spend around an hour at the island.

Global Warming

Global warming is the change in the climate all over the world due to the rise in temperature of oceans and the air near the surface of the Earth. This in turn is impacting ecosystems, agriculture, and the spread of disease. Evidences prove that this global rise in temperature, in a matter of a few decades, could result in melting of the snow in the Polar Regions and glaciers all over the world, and could submerge many islands and low lying areas. It is a real threat to life on Earth that cannot be ignored by just wishing that it goes away.

NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies show that average temperature all over the world has already risen by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.8 degree Celsius since 1880. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report collected between 2000 and 2004 states that the average temperature in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia has risen at twice the global average. It is being predicted that by 2040, the Arctic might become completely ice-free. This will also have an adverse effect on the existence of Polar bears and similar species that need sea ice for their survival. Rise in the temperature of ocean waters also poses a threat to survival of coral reefs. In 1998, a large number of coral reefs experienced bleaching or death due to stress, as they are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature. In some areas, there was a loss of over 70 percent of coral reefs. Another alarming change that will happen as the years pass by is the increase in the number of wildfire, heat waves and tropical storms.

Of the factors that are causing global warming, some of the most dangerous are human activities like industrialization, deforestation, and pollution. These activities increase the content of water vapours, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the Earth’s atmosphere resulting in the green house effect that trap sun's heat in the atmosphere and cause a gradual warming of the Earth. These gases remain in the Earth’s atmosphere for many years and hence, even if the emission of thee gases is stopped immediately, global warming will not stop immediately. The other factors contributing negligibly to global warming are solar variation and volcanoes.

To save our planet and ourselves from extinction, we have to make ourselves and everyone around us aware of global warming and take concrete steps to curb it. The first step in this direction should be to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, and make efficient use of electricity and water. Another simple change must be to start using compact fluorescent bulbs rather than the incandescent ones. Although the cost of compact fluorescent bulbs is more than incandescent ones, their cost is quickly recovered as they consume less energy, resulting in the reduction of electricity bills. Another startling fact that most people do not know about is that any appliance or electronic equipment that has a remote control, AC adapter plug, instant-on feature, battery charger, internal memory, permanent display, or sensor uses electricity even when it is switched off. Thus, the only way to stop the wastage electricity through these electronic items is to unplug them. Yet another simple method of saving energy and water, that has been mentioned innumerable times, is turning off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving. Likewise, fixing a leaking tap, dripping water every three seconds, can save as much as 110 litres of water a month.