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YES, summer sure is HOT!
YES, summer sure is HOT! 0 Comments | Jerusalem Post, Aug 22, 2006 | by DAVID SHAMAH If you’ve had trouble figuring out the differences in service and pricing structure [...]
Size Up Your Siding
Market Wire, July, 2010
(Family Features) Power washing… sanding and scraping… painting… keeping a home’s exterior in good condition can take a lot of time, effort and money. And it often leads homeowners to wonder if there are ways to improve their home without all the work. If this sounds like you, low-maintenance siding may be the answer you’re looking for.
In fact, a recent American Institute of Architects report showed that 75 percent of the residential architects surveyed are seeing growing interest in low-maintenance exterior materials such as fiber-cement board and stone.
Re-siding can be a very good investment. According to the 2009 to 2010 Cost vs. Value Report conducted by Remodeling magazine, replacing home siding has one of the highest returns-on-investment among home improvement projects. Re-siding with fiber cement, for example, gives 23 percent more return-on-investment than a garage addition and 15 percent more than adding a second story.
How do you know if it’s time to re-side your home?
Paul Gentzel, National Repair & Remodel Business Manager of James Hardie Building Products, says homeowners should ask themselves these questions:
What’s the siding’s condition?
Is there evidence of deterioration, such as sagging, cracking, buckling, blistering or discoloration? As vinyl siding ages, pieces may become loose or fall off. “Keep in mind that individual vinyl siding pieces are difficult to replace and cannot be color-matched,” says Gentzel.
How are the trim and soffit areas holding up?
These are often in high-exposure areas and are vulnerable to wear and weathering, so wood and vinyl in particular may need to be replaced entirely over a house’s lifespan.
What’s the maintenance schedule?
Siding materials have different life spans and maintenance requirements. “As siding wears out,” says Gentzel, “the effort and cost of maintaining tired siding can add up to be more expensive than installing new siding.”
How’s the curb appeal?
If your home looks faded or is starting to look run-down, re-siding can be the quickest and most cost-effective solution to update and beautify it.
“In making a siding decision,” says Gentzel, “it’s important to weigh the look you like against its cost and upkeep. For example, homeowners may opt for vinyl siding over fiber cement because of initial sticker price — but not take into account that, unlike vinyl, fiber cement is resistant to minor impact and will retain its look for a very long time.”
James Hardie Building Products, Inc. offers a wide variety of fiber-cement sidings, from boards that resemble wood to panels that look like stucco. Their revolutionary ColorPlus Technology comes with a multi-coat, factory applied, baked-on paint finish that is guaranteed not to chip, peel or crack, ensuring your home looks better, longer.
The Re-Siding Process
Step One: Covering up the old problem is rarely recommended. The way to do a job right is to remove the old siding entirely. This allows the new siding to be installed as if it were your original exterior.
Step Two: Before the new exterior is applied, the existing structure should be inspected for moisture damage, mold, termites or rot. Covering your old siding with vinyl siding can potentially prevent serious structural problems from being discovered.
Step Three: A weather resistant barrier, such as HardieWrap weather barrier, should be applied to create an extra layer of moisture and wind protection. Most building codes today require it, in fact.
Step Four: Your new siding should be installed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. If installing James Hardie siding, ask your contractor for a best practices installation guide.
For more information on siding choices, and to download the free guide, “Everything You Must Know Before You Re-Side Your Home,” visit www.jameshardie.com .
Measure for Measure
An installer will calculate how much siding a home needs, but you can make a rough estimate yourself. Consumer Reports recommends this method:
Determine the area of each rectangular section of a house by multiplying the height times the width (in feet).
Multiply the approximate height and width of triangular surfaces, such as gables
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It happens to
It happens to all of us: the pressing personal problem or concern that takes center stage, leaving little energy or attention for anything else, including work. Examples are a family member?s prolonged illness or death, facing the prospect or reality of divorce. Although most of us are practiced at putting on the ?game face? and getting on with work, events of this magnitude may make it difficult or impossible to manage that. Each person is, of course, different, and no solution will fit everyone. Here, however, are some useful coping mechanisms.
Support.
Get the support you need, whether that?s counseling, a support group, a coach, or some blend of the three. Asking for help may not come naturally, but it can help you avoid mental or emotional tunnel vision and help you identify your best options.
Consider whether to share your news.
Depending on the situation, you may need to let a colleague or supervisor know what?s going on. There?s no need to share details, but especially if you suspect that there will be an actual conflict between your professional responsibilities and your personal ones, it?s often best to let someone else know.
Practice centering exercises.
Whether it?s meditation, yoga, or just deep breathing, physical activities can help you center yourself so you are better prepared to deal with work while you?re working and less likely to be pulled away mentally or emotionally by whatever is causing you distress.
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Take cover! Pea-shooters are back in boys’ arsenal
Take cover! Pea-shooters are back in boys’ arsenal
0 Comments | Daily Mail (London, England), The, July 24, 2010
DON’T tell teacher, but the catapult and pea-shooter could be making a comeback.
New versions of the toys – along with the cowboy pistol – are being marketed as a way to encourage boys to make contact with their inner Dennis the Menace.
Their retailer says he wants to overcome health and safety regulations that are destroying childhood.
Mike O’Shea, founder of the Wicked Uncle website which is selling the non-PC toys, said: ‘We’re fed up with the amount of pointless, weedy toys that are given to kids these days and we’re equally sick of the scourge of video games which waste away the imaginations of kids.
‘Kids should be out climbing trees, crawling through brambles and making dens.’ A backlash against modern conventions such as the promotion of non-competitive sport in school has also seen the Dangerous Book For Boys become a publishing sensation.
It teaches children to make bows and arrows and even play poker.
Mr O’Shea also cited many recent incidents of politically-correct behaviour that is ruining childhood.
They include the cutting down of trees to stop children climbing and a playground ban on making daisy chains in case children succumb to infections.
and there are more
and there are more major players on the scene as well, such as Skype, who is relying on viral advertising to get the word out.
One of the really interesting thing about VoIP is that there’s not just one way to make a call. There are actually three:
ATA – is the most commonly used VoIP method right now. Using the ATA (analog telephone adaptor), you connect your regular telephone to your computer or Internet connection. The ATA is an analog-to-digital converter and it takes the analog signal from your phone and converts it into digital data and transmits it over the Internet.
This is how Vonage does it, and AT&T ‘s CallVantage will be doing it. The ATA is free with their services. And utilizing an ATA is so simple that anyone can do it. Open the box, plug the cable from your phone into the ATA instead of the wall socket, and you’re set. Based on your computer, and where you live, and what type of Internet connection you have, you might have to also install the software onto your computer, but even my grandmother knows how to do that these days.
IP Phones – They look just like the phones we’re used to.
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Plus, if you?re following a GFCF
Plus, if you?re following a GFCF diet it?s much easier to implement this at home and you can be sure that your child is only eating what you?re giving them. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that autistic children who are home-schooled score better on problem behavior assessments.
In order to make the most out of your child?s home-school experience, it may be a good idea to keep a journal. Write down anything about your child?s behavior and performance that is important. For instance, you can keep track of when your child is most productive, when he or she learns best, and what are the potential distractions. Remember you?ll need to adapt your teaching style to suit their learning ability. Trying to make them learn ?your way? will just lead to a lack of progress and frustration all round.
As a parent and a teacher it is important for you to read up on recent literature involving the education of autistic children.
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Pothole- and Flood-Caused Damages Covered Under Optional Portions of
Pothole- and Flood-Caused Damages Covered Under Optional Portions of
0 Comments | U.S. Newswire, Apr 8, 2010
Auto Policyholders Have Options For Dealing With Winter’s Aftermath
NEW YORK, April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Drivers whose automobiles are damaged after their vehicle strikes a pothole or gets caught in floodwaters can file a claim with their auto insurer, so long as they have collision and comprehensive coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.)
“The collision and comprehensive provisions of an auto insurance policy are optional and increase the cost of insuring a car. But those additional premium dollars pay big dividends when a pothole wreaks havoc on your car’s undercarriage or a flash flood soaks your vehicle’s interior,” said Michael Barry, vice president, media relations, I.I.I.
Seventy-two percent of insured drivers purchase collision coverage and 76 percent buy comprehensive coverage on top of their liability coverage, based on 2007 data compiled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
“You don’t need either collision or comprehensive coverage to drive legally, but both provide important financial protections and they might be required if you financed the purchase of the car through a bank or another financial institution,” Barry added.
Almost every state requires you to buy a minimum amount of liability coverage. Chances are that you will need more liability insurance than the state requires because accidents often cost more than the minimum limits
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Assembly Speaker Pérez to Headline Morning Briefing at C.A.R.'s Legislative Day
Market Wire, May, 2010
Nearly 2,000 California REALTORS will be in Sacramento Wednesday, June 9, to participate in the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’ (C.A.R.) 40th Annual Legislative Day activities.
Among the day’s events are opportunities for REALTORS to meet with the state’s political leaders. During the morning briefing, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center, Assembly Speaker John Prez (D-Los Angeles) and Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) will speak about issues affecting the real estate industry.
Following the morning briefing, REALTORS will meet with their elected officials during the afternoon. Later that evening, C.A.R.’s valued political contributors and state VIPs will mix and mingle with California’s power elite from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Reception at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. For more information on C.A.R.’s Legislative Day, please visit http://www.car.org/governmentaffairs/getinvolved/legday10/ .
Leading the way… in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ( www.car.org ) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with nearly 160,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate
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