Wednesday 27 November 2013

The other meaning of Christmas

Christmas 25th of December correct but why? Because that is Jesus birthday ! Wrong Jesus was born in the spring and not December. So why?
Like many major festivals there was already one on that day. In this case the winter solisate festival which in the early days of christianty after it was accepted and became the offical religion neec to convert the people so by swapping one festival for a other was easier for all. So remember when you tuck into your turkey this year.

Thank you for reading
From
www.clark-trading.co.uk

Hard heads and hard hats

Did you know.

If you write or place a sticker on a hard hat you damage it and reduce it protection.
That a bump cap is not a hard hat and only for low risk situation.
And with any helmet need replacing after any knock to the helmet.

www.clark-trading.co.uk

Is money ruining Football

There is no doubt that Football is the biggest sport in the world. It gets the biggest crowds and television veiwers etc. But is money ruining football?
I have done a blog on here and at www.clark-trading.co.uk but that not the topic this time.
Is money ruining football?
Lets examine this.
Shirts and merchandise £40 for a rugby shirt £40 for a football shirt it seems to me on this one there is little difference between many sports merchandise can be expensive so is money ruining football?

Transfer fees of 40  million in some case are hugh and how is a player worth that ? And for simillar reason to the wages I think this will and is damaging it will keep growing and like with wages is funded by the fans via tickets and tv revenue etc so yes money is ruining football on this issue

Yes money is ruining football (Fussball as I have a german quiz on our facebook page clark trading ) in regards wages and transfer fees.

Thanks for reading

Has health and safety gone mad

We have all heard it said you can't do that because of Health and safety. 
But how often is it one of the following?
  1. A misunderstand of the health and safety laws 
  2. A excuse to hide behind 

Lets face it every company has different rules and laws to follow because of different curcamstantces here @ Clark trading we are no different

Just remember often when health and safety is blamed even the Hse think it brammy. Using Health and safety to hide  behind is dangerous tothe workers. How? Simple they will think other rules are made up when they are not and just ignore the important ones that protect them.

Don't hide behind Health and safety for blaming decission on. Either stand by them and explain them and why the rule there
Or drop them 

Thanks for reading

Ashley on Ashley Again round 2

My second self interveiw I hope you Find it intresting

I enjoy traveling and have been to quite a few place in UK but what is my favorite place in England?
York (If you exclude Hull were I live) for 1 it only an hour on the train and is packed with history from other 2000 years I love a wide range of History and also enjoy going to Leeds to visit the Royal Armouries.
What about Scotland?
I have only ever really been to Edinbrugh but I do like Auther seat.

I enjoy traveling by train but what was my favorite journey? For a start it was in Germany on a strecth of the middle rhein Mainz to Koblenz

That travel covered for now what else should I ask myself?

I said on the websites about us section www.clark-trading.co.uk I enjoy lord of the Rings and other books but what are the other books?
All the Dan Brown books I have read anb Harry potter. And other beside but I like fantasy in books as a rule of thumb and feel that the lord of the ring movie versions were well done a close enought to the books that sevearl lines in the movie I did not notice were added until I reread the books.

Saturday 23 November 2013

Why England (Football) Will NEVER win the World Cup Ever! (updated~)

The main body of this article may well be discussing my opinion on why England can't currently win the world cup and be all about football but is in fact also a business lesson in sorts. How ? that is simple in fact football no correction the top flight is all about importing talent rather than developing it in house the quick fix. In business that can work but can be disastrous I will let you draw your own concussion

As a English man that may sound wrong for me to say but I make no apologies for it ! Period
Ask yourselves this how many oversea players are on your football team not many or any? Only if your club is a lower league outfit can you give that statement I fear! And in truth that is far from healthy for the state of English football. Overseas players dominate the premier league and even the spl to the determinant of home grown talent. Should this be the case? NO,! Is it the case? yes!
Can anything be done about it? YES
Take Rugby league ok there are less team in the sport but there are only a few world class top teams who do dominate like in football. And England only narrowly lost to New Zealand the reign world champions in the semi finals. Not perfect but when did English football last archive this?
The point is that we have a oversea players cap in British Rugby league/ European when you consider a big chunk of the French team play for one outfit Catalan Dragons that great for unit cohesion. But I am not suggesting that for a solution only the cap. Ok you may say it break Eu law like the Fa thinks(here is a simple solution case overseas players been from no Eu country's). But how can that be the case Rugby league does it and no one bat a eye lid! 

I ask you this question when did England last win the World cup? 1966. 48 years ago. How many oversea players played on the top flight of the English game?
A few facts and Figures and question to consider
And now 2014 the figure of English players is what? (Source BBC sports)  A scary 32.26% not even a third of the players. This really is not a good thing is it. ?
Less than 1/3 of the total played minutes are by English players. 
Which Football club in the English Premier league is the worst offender? And who is the best?
Name 25 top English Players under 25 years old? And under 23? How many of Us had heard of the players on team Gb Football back at the London 2012?
Who has the best set up at bringing young English players thru to pro and developing them that is how football should look for talent not just buy it in develop it themselves ! Yes transfer are good and useful but a decent youth set up is a great asset for the club in the long and shorter term.
Will this get worse? I fear it will. And may get to a point were the England team is mainly selected from the lower leagues
And no I am not saying oversea players ruin the game they add flair to the Premier league just at what cost? A high one as it is a key factor in damaging English football in the long term. As less and less top class English player get to play at the top level. 
Those at the top of the English game at both FA and Premier league need to take a long hard look at the present situation
And if you browse the web on this topic I am not the only person saying this.

And based on the current performance at this world cup which is to be honest disgraceful my point has been proved again for this year  

Thanks for reading please take a look at the our other football sports blogs etc

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Photo of Clark trading

www.clark-trading.co.uk

Hull city of Culture

If you have visited our website www.clark-trading.co.uk you will know here at Clark trading we are proud of Hull and have been behind the bid from early on.
So it nice to know the city has won the city of culture contest
Well done to all
Clark trading proudly supporting Dove house hospice and proud to be from Kingston upon Hull city of Culture 2017

Be safe be seen don't be a doup

Going out and about in the early hours if the morning you see several things! And to be honest one of them is scary! The Amount of people on bikes with no lights and in dark clothing. Please wear light coloured clothing and/or reflective clothing they are not expensive (www.clark-trading.co.uk ) we stock a varity of reflective products from a couple of pounds. What is you life worth? And have lights

Tuesday 19 November 2013

What Football can learn from Rugby League

There are many difference between Rugby and Football. But that does not mean when it comes to rules and system, tech and the likes  that different sport can not learn from each other. But how?
Lets take video tech!
How many times has there been a goal that was not but given in Football over the years?
The hand of god incident ?
If there had been a video ref he coukd have looked and seen the hand ball. And no goal
Yes it can slow down the game a little but it is worth it. After all a goal that should not have been can change a whole game and I mean tge dyamic for one. Yes it would depend on the ref going to the video ref when in doubt which will not be all the time. But it works in rugby league and in the super league on Sky spirts and bbc games the video ref talks thought the call as he going.

Not convinced?
Ok you could have a simple light system like in ice hockey but it would only confirm the ball is over the line. And not other issue only a video ref can do that and with all the camera at football games it not like a big bit of the kit is not already in place

Sunday 17 November 2013

Part 2 of are sports teams to fast to sack the manager

If a business was not preforming because of the staff  who would go the bad staff member of the manager? In sports it is the manager who go first not the players who are the workers the ones who are playing the game. Yes a bad manager who can not get the best out of the players is a bad manager and should go but often this does not seem to be the case in sports it seems to be the team are not preforming so sack the manager. No it should be why are the team not preforming is it the manager the players or other factor out of both groups hands.
In the world of business the managers an supervisors are paid more than the work force not in sports and this can create an unhealthy atmosphere were the player are bigger than the manager and make them harder to manage fr the manager. This can cause problems for the managers.

The players are often the problem as much as a manager in an under preforming team but only the managers lose their jobs is this fair?
And often are they given sufficient time to make improvement and get the most out of the team in general?

Thank you for reading why not check out our website @ www.clark-trading.co.uk

Saturday 16 November 2013

How football got the yellow card wrong

ok every sport has different rules and regs but one thing they all have in common is some form of discipline and card system. I think that in football the yellow card has no value unlike lets say rugby. What good is a yellow card with no direct effect? *(or for that matter the report in Rugby league) To be a effective deterrent the yellow card has to have a form of direct punishment  at the time of the offence. The simplest version is ?
10 mins in the sin bin like in rugby.  
Yes football fans think that the player will come back on rested and the offending team will gain an advantage in the long run of the game. Well that is simply not true! when you consider that one team will have and extra player in effect for ten mins and the other a man less so the offending teams 10 men have to work harder and get more  tired than the other side so it is and effective punishment.

This is just one example of how football is behind the times compared to other sports touch line tech and video ref in general are other areas football can improve to the benefit of it fan base

Rugby league is it getting stronger

Been from Hull we are in the Rugby league heartland but also home to a premier league football club. And in the local paper you will often hear on news articles the football mob commenting on Rugby been dead or rubbish. 
Yes I am basis but answer me a few questions

Who run football clubs? The players? The owners? The Manager?
When you take a new newspaper article by Sir Alex on why Beckham had to go. So the over paid footballer think they are more important than the club and the manager. I think that this is one example of how money is ruining football. 
A lot of football fans I know think that the large amounts of money proves how football is the greatest in the world. But is that really a good point? 
Ok Rugby league has not got the same level of money involved but lets consider a plus point of this. Can a smaller Club like Hull city Compete in the premier league when their is not a level playing field caused by all the money involved in the game. Surly this damages football?
In the super league with a salary cap we created a much more even playing field esp for teams coming up. So is money ruining football? And is the lesser money in Rugby league healthier in the long term?

When does the xmas period begin

So when does the Christmas period begin 
w
Well for the shops it seems to be in October is that to early here @ Clark trading I classed it as starting in a business sense on the 1st of November 
But as a person  when does it begin for you ?  

Wednesday 13 November 2013

What televison can teach business? Updated expanded

There is a wealth of business programs on Uk tele but in fact that the sort of tv I am referring to. It is more you every day drama and comedy in the soap you have business and in cartoon and that what I on about here. 

The Simpson 
May seem strange but bear with me a second
A yes man is dangerous. 
In the Simpson Smither is Mr Burn yes man just telling him what he want to hear. In one example when laying staff of Burns make a his mknd based on look and that Homer has Glass a good adviser would have not just agreed with a stupied idea as keeping your worst staff member because they look right. 2 further things here Burns is disconnected from his business and has only one adviser of sort a yes man meaning bad management decisions go unchallenged. 

Can Mr Burns teach us anything Else? 
Know your staff.

This is easier in smaller business than bigger companies and it not clear where the Nuclear power plant sit in this bracket. But in Burns case he know none of his work force even the likes of Homer who has been tgere a very long time. 
His lack of knowledge on his work force is of course a sympton of his been disconnected and having no hand on role whsts so ever. But it is bad because his lack of intrest can be a factor i  demovating a workforce if it was real world.

A very abridged history of Hull the first bit

The city of Kingston upon Hull to give us our proper name is just over 700 years old so we are not the oldest city in Yorkshire.
The city grow from a small hamlet called wkye on the west bank of the river Hull owned by the monks at Meux to export wool to the continent. Soon a king saw the advantage of the location and brought the city of the monks to be a supply port and garrison against the Scottish and the city as we know was born.



  

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Rugby League

You some times hear from football fans that rugby league is small fry and shrinking or dying. Well that just not true ok we may not get the attendance football achieves but Rugby league is growing.
For Example the current Rugby league world cup has two new teams in it this year that growth not shrinkage. In fact in the Usa Rugby has greater chance of growth than football due to it been closer to Us sports than football is and in this case American football one of the biggest sport in the USA. Now is that an un healthy position for the sport to be in the USA when you consider that big name stars like Beckham did not make football grow fast but in Rugby league case the USA team the Tomahawks are in the Quarter finals that will do a lot for it growth in the US.

So in my opp-ion Rugby is growing both codes not dying or shrinking

David versus Goliath

As I have often said across this website been small means we can do thing our larger rivals can not. So what are the plus of small business in general 

1 Customer have a directer route to the boss try getting thought to the boss at tesco and see how you do. At Clark trading and other small business you are dealing directly with the boss, 
2 fewer departments mean no getting past from pillar to post the left hand and the right know what the others doing plus often staff/owners can and do work all areas so know the day to day opperations that is the case here @ Clark Trading 
3 Been smaller means lower overheads 
4 Less complex systems and more flexiability means things are quicker and easier to solve, an example of this is if we are having problems with a couier we just swap them out the big boy would have contract make that harder for them there are numerous examples for this one 
5 We are an open company that prides it selves on that human touch that is often missing with the big boy at Clark trading every one has a stake in the company and is passionate about the company. How often have you seen it staff at other company are just there for the wage no pride in the job company or product. 

Thanks for reading please visit the rest of the site 
Above is only a brief summary on this topic it could be 100s of point long if I wished

Are sporting teams to quick to sack the manager

(Ok I finally will say who is my Rugby team Hull Fc (and no I don't hate rovers I love having two super league teams in Hull it create great banter and rivarys) I ask this question after it was announced Fc will be departing with the service of Peter Gentle our Coach/manager Which I fell is far from the correct decission. It is the player who lose games and win them not the coach alone but it only the coach who goes they are a scape goat and Hull Fc are to quick to dump the boss it is one of the club flaws and many clubs in many sports suffer from this. 
Yes a bad manager is a waste of space and need to be gone but often it good manager who had bad luck who get the boot. If you manager got you to a major final and the play off in one season when no one thougth you could would you sack them because they list in the play off? 
Player miss tackle drop balls etc (rugby) there is only so much any coach can do so where does the blame stand? Player? Or Coach? 
Sport club owners always say manager/coach 
Why are the players left out this equation? They play the games. And what the boss can do during the game is limited it is the players domion not the managers. And it is were the game won or lost. 
And yes bad coaching can lead to this, but good coaching can only go so far in preventing loss the difference is the players every time. 

Thanks for reading please stop by the website www.clark-trading.co.uk and check out the second part of this topic here on Blogspot or the website blog section 

Ashley takes on Ashley

Firstly a small business is about it people in a way a bigger company can not achieve in factory has been said it an extension on the person and their personality. I agree 

In the about us page I go into details on the people
But I am going to talk about me with stuff not on the about us page

Q: What am I most proud of.?
A: Several things the company and our work for Dove house Hospice plus I am proud of that I have give Blood 14 units if I recall correctly ( As has Lynne) that I am on both the bone marrow register and organ list. I only stopped giving blood because I went to work in Germany and fully intend to start again soon.
Q:Apart from my work @Clark trading what was my favourite job?
A: That is a toss up between working in Road haulage and my work in Germany as a supplier to helicopter (medivac) belonging to the Us army. But because I enjoyed Germany so much and it was the longer of the two. Defence contracting wins. I also enjoy a xmas job a few years back with Royal mail in the sorting office
Q: what am I most passionate about?
A: Well apart from Clark trading,I love Hull it is a topic I have blogged on several times, I may not be the most knowledgeable Rugby League fan in the world it is one of my passions never the less.
Q: What is my strangest hobbie?
A:I love night walking in forest I have said before is it a strange hobbies? May be not but it is one I miss as much as I love Hull I miss Mannheim and it's forest. I also enjoy soft air shooting maybe a little less common.
Q:Tea or coffee
A:I drink both but prefer Tea (strange question bear with me a second the next question will make it clear)
Q:How long was I in Germany and what did I miss most about the UK?
A:19 months to the day I left on the day that Icelandic volcano played up for the last time and came back by coach 19 months later. I missed a good cup of British tea.
Q:Anything I miss about Germany?
A:Yes Currywurst 

About us @ Clark trading a bit more info

About us @ Clark trading 
Did you know you can collect nectar points on 62bitsandpieces2013 on EBay?

We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry.
Our we try to have as wide as possible and often have often up to 100 listing on our 2 E bay pages Ashleyc119 and 62bitsandpieces2013. We often stock PPe (Gloves wet weather gear just to name a few  ) , collectibles, household items toys (our Nerf range) etc 



Don't Forget to check out the Faq section it has lots of information on our Terms and Condition Etc. I do apologies in advance it is a little boring may be read it in multiply doses
I am currently working on a type version of our company social responsibility policy
Here is a link to a Write up we revived on Bizcrowd
The people
I am the youngest member of the team, (both my other two partners are my parents(as I have said were a family company) I enjoy a good read including Tolkien Both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit plus his other Work but I can not spell their title 
example Ncis

I have lived and worked overseas in Germany and speak/read/write some German.  One of my other roles is photographer and model odds are that if a item is model it is me


  
A keen rugby league fan and motor sports fan. Been all over the UK and across Europe in his days as a trucker Which has it advantages for the company with his good knowledge on the lay of the land. Only really ever done two jobs in his years sales or driving. 

A former Kayak-er and qualified Chef Previously (French food) work as cook in charge in school meals in Hull. Her little release from the hectic world of Clark trading is the Garden area this help the local wildlife,birds and the Bees (the pond has now been enlarged and deepened )
A bit of a jack of all trades. 
Note 





We are proud to be supporting Dove House Hospice for the foreseeable future. We will be collecting via the sunflowers at the markets and car boots we attend during the month of October.
If your interested in Helping Dove Hose out the contact Details for them is below 
or Call Human Resources on  01482 785740
Who are Dove House?
Dove House Hospice provides specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses.
For the remaining 320 days, we rely heavily on the generosity of the local community, a full calendar of hospice events, corporate support, legacies and other donations.

62 Leads Road
HU7 0BY
Ebay 
Pinterest: Clarktrading1
The Container:
68-78 Leads Road (look for our logo on the Doors)


Hours:
We also do Car boot sales in the Hull and East Yorkshire area check the event page here  or on our Facebook page. 
For fuller details on stock currently on hand visit the Facebook page  (will add a stock page now on the site but will take a while to update so please bear with me)

Update on Our efforts for Dove House Hospice

Here @ Clark trading we are very proud to be supporting Dove House hospice and have undertaken numerous efforts to raise awareness on them and have been collecting for them in the October Care for hospice campaign we have been advised we raised a total of £26.29 and had even got sunflowers left over

Clark trading are proud to be supporting Dove House Hospice

Here @ Clark Trading we are proud to be supporting Dove house.
If you visit the about us page there is some info on them and a link to their website.

There are many worthy cause around the UK so why did Clark trading Select Dove house?

They are local to us in Hull But that is on a very small part of it. Like many worthy cause the funding they recive by far fall short of covering their needs 320 days short based of their figures. With out help from us and you the could not carry on providing their vital services. We all know the stat that 1 in 3 of us will get cancer (it is only one of many life limiting illness they care for) and while some are curable, many are sadly not and will claim many lifes as will many other illness. The care for a terminally ill person is hard  on them and their loved on and that were Dove house help care for them and provide a nice surronding and high quailty care during there illness (they have very nice gardens) and dignity. And can you put a price on that? I wish they were not need as I am sure they do, but until all terminal and life limiting illness are beaten they sadly are going to be needed.

And here @ Clark trading we will keep supporting them until the day they are no longer need arrives and not before. 

One of the other reason we choice Dove house is due to the fact they cover and care for a wide range of conditions rather than just one, The a further major  reason we support them above all else is Dove house is a cause all 3 partys here @Clark trading belive in 
I could carry on about why we belive and support Dove House but it would be to long what I Have typed above is a good idea of why we belive in what they do.

We are for one collecting for the care for hospices october at markets in the East Yorkshire when we are tradingband the next chance will be on the 2nd of october at Walton Street Hull Help us raise as much as possible for them! 

We are also support in other ways to many to list right now and looking for more ways to help them. 

Personal protective Equipment

Here @ Clark trading been based in Hull means that when you search for PPE suppliers in Hull, we will not come out as number 1 in the search ranking Due to a leading rival in the section Called Arco, But we may not be Arco but that does not mean we can't compete 

Clark trading What we can do when it comes to PPE

Our goal is to exceed Your expectations every time and Become your Supplier of choice when it comes to PPE and the rest of our varied range

  • Been smaller than the major PPE Suppliers means we Can offer the same products or similar for below the RRP 
  • We can like our rivals offer a wide range of products from a wide range of leading manufacturers including Caterpillar,Timber land , Proforce and others 
  • We can offer a range of product to protect every part of the body
  • We offer Fast Delivery (free Delivery available as advertised) 
  • Been on e Bay means we have feedback to reviews helping you make an informed choice 
  • Our Combined score on e Bay is over 1000 
  • We only use British based Company's to source our range of PPE 
  • The Proforce Product range is sourced directly from the manufacturer as are several other PPE ranges (our PPE in this area comes from the same source as national PPE retailers)

Thank you for Reading 

Standing out

It is important in both life and business to stand out from the crowd and be different and be seen it is the only way to get on in many cases.
It is a lot easier to do that as a person than as a business it seems. We all can proberly point out what make us different as a person and were we are simliar or like other people, as a business the later can be easy to do and can be a strenght if afterall lot of different companies are doing something it must work, but that is also a problem clone companies are not useful to anyone lrst the business it will lack a brand id one of the most important asset a company has and hard to put a vaule on. Be different is what will win you business and keep thr business what you have. It can be little things that make you stand out. So what is the Usp for Clark Trading(http://www.clark-trading.co.uk) I could say the people (I have blog about how that the case previously) I can say it the range of sales outlets (you can buy via Facebook,This website Ebay markets from the container if we are their that is 5 sales channels)  I also could and will this blog due to the range of topics. Or it could be the fact we are not scared to try new things, using new school and old school together and other besides. 
We are different because of many things including the width of our product range. I could go on and you may be able to see other usp we have because you are detached so why not point out any usp you have spoted I have missed and be sure to visit the rest of the website it will make this challenge eaiser if you accept it.

Thanks for reading

Ghosts and ghouls but are they real?

Ghost, ghoul, vampires and demon rule the night once a year but do they exist?

Many cultures around the world have tales of al-sorts of monster and such likes.

So vampires ?
Well you do have various blood sucking creatures out there combine it with medival understand of illness with people who can't go out in daylight you have a vampire but is it that simple?  and other conditions as well. 
Most vampire lore in the 21st century has changed due to Hollywood movies and that how we still know of them, but the fact us people across the world still belive in them not in the Hollywood sense. Of course that proof nothing!
On the face of it a lifeform living on blood is possible and fact,leach ,vampire bats as is a major adversion to the sunlight to the point of pain but to the point of death? Vampire are imortal? Is this folklore? Or Hollywood? I am not sure but imortality seems impossible. prolonged life as vampire are human based creature again it seems unlikely.
So vampire?
Myth and movie? I think so but I could be wrong afterall myth and movies change and movies can and do distrot fact and fiction alike

Thanks for reading

Who are Clark trading

Well that is simple we are a family owned and operated small an independent general trader and PPE supplier based in Hull in East Yorkshire.

We trade on line via E bay as Ashleyc119 and 62bitsandpieces2013 both are top rated power seller and have between them over 1000 happy customers. But this is only a small section of our on-line operations we are on many of the major social media (Facebook for example = Clark trading we you can see a selection of the stock along many other things and you can buy from it also ) (Pinterest = Clarktrading1) and we are also on (Twitter Ashleyrclark1) our social media arm can be brought from just like E bay

We are one many other on-line locations and on-line business directory's.

We also trade via markets/car boots across East Yorkshire

We are proud here @ Clark trading to be supporting Dove House Hospice

This is only a small summary
Thanks for reading

For more info please visit our website www.clark-trading.co.uk

Friday November the First 2013

I can not think of anything more terrifying than waking up to a fire at just before 7am. But thankfully Humberside fire and rescue service were quick to the scene and had it under control quick. Further more I am glad we had a working smoke alarm It SAVED MY LIFE
That not with standing it was a hard day and it is a life changing event. And put things in perspective the little things I use to fert about don't seem as important any more.

As we run the Business Clark trading from Home it has meant some disruption to the company but that is nearly all sorted out now we have had to make the order cut of point earlier in the day and the website has had to take a nap but that about the only things that are different.

a Boring blog will arrive later explaining more about the company

Thanks for reading