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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Quick Advice From One Handyman To Another ... - Energy Efficiency
Talk to a realtor to learn which home improvements increase the resale value of a home. They know the housing market well and what people look for in a home.
Use your outdoor space. You can turn your backyard into an extension of the house. Take advantage of your outdoor living space by having friends over for a barbecue, or just relaxing.
New appliances can improve the kitchen, adding value to your home. No matter what, changing out appliances will improve your home.
A well-made and contemporary front door can lead to an increase in the value of your property. It is possible to freshen the appearance of your entry door by purchasing one of the many styles of knob and lock combinations available on the market.
If you feel you need to spruce up your living room, add a bold print to give it some style and personality. Add zebra or leopard print accessories to a living room, such as chair cushions, area rugs, decorative pillows, or wall art.
If you?re like most house shoppers, one of the first things you need to know to determine if the house will work for you is how many bathrooms there are. How many bathrooms there are in a house can have a dramatic effect on its value. Having a spare bath or two will enhance the value of your home.
Before beginning any home improvement project, find the locations of your gas shut-off. You want to be extremely cautious during this process. Starting a fire or causing an injury during your project is undesirable.
Look for low areas on your property, you want to place close attention near where the house foundation is located. Consider adding some compacted soil to these areas so your home isn?t damanged from erosion. Water can, over time, destroy your foundation and even ruin the wooden areas of your home.
You can add some flare to your book case by putting some wall paper there. Choose a vibrant graphic design. Place the wallpaper behind your bookcase, then you will see the design as you stack books. Doing this can take your bookcase from an item in your room to the focal point.
An easy home improvement job is installing a new mailbox. A newer, cleaner mailbox adds curb appeal and makes your home appear more modern. Make sure you adhere to all city regulations when erecting your new mailbox. This should only take a couple of hours, making for a quick project.
Get a motion activated light for your front porch to help you keep your energy costs low, while keeping your yard safely lit. You can turn on the lights yourself or adjust how sensitive it is.
Try a landscaping project to bring a new look to your home and your yard. Planting everything from flowers to a hedge will not only improve your appreciation for your home but also your neighbors?. Adding proper landscape to your yard greatly increases first impressions and goes a long way in increasing the value of your home.
A coat rack mounted on your wall is a nice way to display necklaces and other jewelry. Perhaps you should not hang your most valuable jewelery. Having your nicer jewelry out on display can be aesthetically pleasing and keep the pieces from becoming tangled. Keep the few pieces of jewelry that you wear more often in front and close at hand.
Many times older homes have carpet throughout, and it can be worn, stained and outdated after years of use. Wood floors can last significantly longer than carpeting, and have a timeless look about them.
This causes the bristles to bend and erode more quickly. It should always be hung up so bristles will work great by staying straight. In addition, hang mops in such a way that they can dry thoroughly so that mildew does not form.
Richie Vee, the site?s editor, is the Chief Engineer of one of the largest Platinum LEED buildings in NYC. His extensive engineering experience helps guide consumers through home improvement projects for the average homeowner. Using home solar energy and roofing repair ideas to save them money.
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Darwinian selection continues to influence human evolution
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2012) ? New evidence proves humans are continuing to evolve and that significant natural and sexual selection is still taking place in our species in the modern world.
Despite advancements in medicine and technology, as well as an increased prevalence of monogamy, research reveals humans are continuing to evolve just like other species.
Scientists in an international collaboration, which includes the University of Sheffield, analysed church records of about 6,000 Finnish people born between 1760-1849 to determine whether the demographic, cultural and technological changes of the agricultural revolution affected natural and sexual selection in our species.
Project leader Dr Virpi Lummaa, of the University's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, said: "We have shown advances have not challenged the fact that our species is still evolving, just like all the other species 'in the wild'. It is a common misunderstanding that evolution took place a long time ago, and that to understand ourselves we must look back to the hunter-gatherer days of humans."
Dr Lummaa added: "We have shown significant selection has been taking place in very recent populations, and likely still occurs, so humans continue to be affected by both natural and sexual selection. Although the specific pressures, the factors making some individuals able to survive better, or have better success at finding partners and produce more kids, have changed across time and differ in different populations."
As for most animal species, the authors found that men and women are not equal concerning Darwinian selection.
Principal investigator Dr Alexandre Courtiol, of the Wissenschftskolleg zu Berlin, added: "Characteristics increasing the mating success of men are likely to evolve faster than those increasing the mating success of women. This is because mating with more partners was shown to increase reproductive success more in men than in women. Surprisingly, however, selection affected wealthy and poor people in the society to the same extent."
The experts needed detailed information on large numbers of study subjects to be able to study selection over the entire life cycle of individuals: survival to adulthood, mate access, mating success, and fertility per mate.
Genealogy is very popular in Finland and the country has some of the best available data for such research thanks to detailed church records of births, deaths, marriages and wealth status which were kept for tax purposes. Movement in the country was also very limited until the 20th century.
"Studying evolution requires large sample sizes with individual-based data covering the entire lifespan of each born person," said Dr Lummaa. "We need unbiased datasets that report the life events for everyone born. Because natural and sexual selection acts differently on different classes of individuals and across the life cycle, we needed to study selection with respect to these characteristics in order to understand how our species evolves."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Sheffield.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Alexandre Courtiol, Jenni E. Pettay, Markus Jokela, Anna Rotkirch, and Virpi Lummaa. Natural and sexual selection in a monogamous historical human population. PNAS, April 30, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118174109
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Spain scraps health benefits for illegal immigrants
Spain takes pride in its universal health care but Europe's debt crisis has spurred tough budget cuts that will bring sometimes life-saving treatment for illegal immigrants to an abrupt end.
Carmen Maria, a 33-year-old woman from Nicaragua who arrived in the country in 2010, has no legal ID in Spain but has benefitted from free health coverage for her illness nonetheless.
She has been working as a cleaner and despite failing to obtain residency she was able to enjoy the same health care as any legal Spanish citizen.
Ten months ago she was diagnosed with dermatomyositis, a skin disease which can be associated with a tumour and lead to potentially fatal complications.
"It's considered a rare disease and my condition requires constant medical monitoring," said Carmen Maria, whose husband and four children still live in Nicaragua.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, faced with soaring unemployment, rising debt and a slide into recession, has launched an austerity plan aimed at cutting the deficit from 8.5 percent of GDP last year to 5.3 percent in 2012.
To achieve the package's target of cutting health expenditure by seven billion euros ($9.3 billion), only legal immigrants will retain health coverage as of September 1.
Among illegal immigrants, only children, pregnant women and emergency cases will qualify for free treatment.
"This will only put Spain on a par with other European Union countries," according to Health Minister Ana Mato.
The measure will leave half a million illegal immigrants who have been counting on Spain's health coverage with no safety net, and several organisations have been sounding alarm bells.
Carmen Maria decided to seek help from the group SOS Racismo, saying, "I'm alone here, I don't have anyone."
"The economic crisis, no matter how severe it is, should not be an excuse for stripping immigrants of all their rights," SOS Racismo said, describing access to health care as "a fundamental right".
"This is a very dangerous situation," said Vladimir Paspuel, who heads Ruminahui, a Spanish-Ecuadorian association that offers social and legal assistance to immigrants.
"It can have life-threatening consequences in cases where a disease is not treated in time," he said.
"Another thing is that it sends a subliminal message to Spanish society: 'Illegal immigrants are the ones who are pilfering the money, they are responsible for the crisis'," he explained.
In a bid to defuse any surge in anti-immigrant rhetoric among the public following the conservative government's decision, groups such Ruminahui point out that immigrants are more sparing with their visits to the doctor.
According to a study carried out by a health expert and published in the El Pais daily, immigrants on average go 5.05 times when Spaniards go 7.65 times over the same period.
"I don't go to the doctor more than twice a year," said Wilson Quintero, a 42-year-old Ecuadorian.
But scrapping health coverage for 500,000 Latin Americans, North Africans and Eastern Europeans in Spain "is a serious problem", he said.
"If someone falls ill and doesn't have a steady job, what is he supposed to do? It will become very difficult," he said.
Wilson has lived in Spain since 2002 and worked as a builder until the real estate bubble burst, which led him to lose first his job and then his residency.
Spain's unemployment rate is the highest in the industrialised world at 24.4 percent. It is even higher among immigrants at more than 40 percent.
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Call for clarity on wind turbines
30 April 2012
Last updated at 05:32 ET
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is calling on the government to say how many onshore wind turbines will be built and where they will be.
CPRE says local groups feel overwhelmed by the number of wind farm applications in beautiful countryside.
Just over 1,800 wind turbines more than 30 metres (100 feet) tall have been granted planning permission or are waiting for it.
Ministers say the planning system balances landscape and energy needs.
The CPRE's demands amplify the worries expressed in a letter from Conservative backbenchers to the Prime Minister in February.
The pressure group is asking the government to develop a strategic plan limiting the number of turbines in sensitive rural landscapes. It wants planning inspectors to put more weight on local concerns.
Shaun Spiers, CPRE chief executive, said: "We accept onshore wind in the right places as part of the mix required to meet carbon reduction targets, but we are seeing more and more giant turbines sited in inappropriate locations.
"Communities feel increasingly powerless in the face of applications from big, well-funded developers. This risks undermining public support for the measures needed to tackle climate change."
Continue reading the main story?Start Quote
End Quote Maria McCaffery RenewableUKThe very suggestion that it's so easy is really quite ridiculous?
The trade body RenewableUK says there is enough emphasis on local opinion already.
It says that three-quarters of turbine applications are rejected by local councils, and only half of all applications are approved eventually after intervention from planning inspectors guided by government policies on clean energy.
"I'm astonished at the suggestion that it's so easy to secure planning permission for an onshore wind farm," said RenewableUK's chief executive Maria McCaffery.
"If you took a map of England and wiped out all the national parks, the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, all the areas in line of sight of an aviation radar and the areas that don't have any wind speed, you've got tiny tiny little parcels left," she told BBC News.
"Then when you do apply in those areas you have to go through 22 statutory consultees - so the very suggestion that it's so easy is really quite ridiculous."
No planMore than half of England's turbines are now planned offshore - partly in response to local difficulties with planning onshore.
The opposite is true for Scotland. Statistics for Wales were not available.
The government rejects the CPRE's notion of a top-down plan for siting wind farms.
Its strategy is determined by the UK's legally binding EU target of achieving 15% of total energy from renewable sources by 2020. Within that framework it allows entrepreneurs to decide where turbines can be erected most economically.
The mid-range projection in the government's Renewable Energy Roadmap foresees up to around 13 gigawatts (GW) of UK onshore wind capacity by 2020.
RenewableUK figures show that 18GW is already built, being built, or up for planning permission - in other words, the plan may be more or less on target, even though the overall 15% figure remains very challenging.
This is a big turn-around from what was expected a few years ago when the industry appeared to be expanding slowly.
The government expects that the majority of the 13GW total from onshore wind will come from large projects over 5 megawatts (MW) in capacity.
This may go some way to address another of CPRE's concerns - that the countryside will be dotted with small farmers' turbines, radically altering the look of the landscape.
These small turbines are frequently rejected by local planning.
The launch of CPRE's report, which contains new maps showing wind farms dotted about the UK, was marred by errors in CPRE media releases that provoked an angry response from RenewableUK, which had supplied the relevant statistics.
After two days of confusion over contrasting figures, CPRE apologised for its error - but said that it would be better if clean energy statistics were not held by the industry body in question.
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Use Personalized Golf Gear for Business or Personal Use
There are a lot of people in the United States and around the world that play golf. This sport is internationally recognized, and no matter where you go the rules are the same. In some countries, such as Germany, they take the game of golf so seriously that you must get special licensing in order to play. Fortunately, most countries allow you to play regardless of your skill level. If you enjoy playing golf, or if you play golf for the express purpose of communicating with clients or even your boss, you might want to consider getting a personalized golf club in your bag to use while you play.
If you?re express purpose for playing golf is business, then you might want to consider buying promotional putters. A promotional putter is a putter that has the name of your business on it, your slogan, your motto and so on. While this is an expensive item for a promotional product, if you have a high-end business that provides client services this kind of gift will be very impressive to your clients and potential clients who play golf. You can design a specific putter or you can choose from premade designs from the place you make your purchase.
If you want to take everything to the next level when it comes to personalized golf paraphernalia, then you?ll want to consider a custom putter. You can do virtually anything that you won?t with custom putter. If you want to create a putter for your best client you can include their business information on the putter or the client?s name. If you?re a big fan of a specific sports team then you can create a putter that glorifies the team that you love so much. Essentially, you are only limited by your imagination when you?re creating your own custom putter.
Having personalized golf supplies has an additional benefit to a promotional one. When you personalize your golf balls for example, when you hit a ball astray you?ll have no problem identifying which one is yours. In addition, you can personalize golf shirts and hats with your organization or business name and be a walking promotion if you?d like. No matter what tack you take, you?ll find that there are many benefits to personalized golf gear.
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Groupon replaces 2 directors
CHICAGO (AP) ? Online deals company Groupon Inc. said Monday that it will replace two board members with executives from American Express Co. and accounting firm Deloitte LLP.
The company said Daniel Henry, chief financial officer of American Express and Robert Bass, a vice chairman at financial consulting firm Deloitte, will sit on Groupon's audit committee.
Henry was appointed to the board on April 26, and replaces Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
The move comes as Groupon faces growing scrutiny over its accounting practices. In March, the company restated its quarterly financial results, explaining that it lost more than it initially reported because it had to pay out more refunds than expected.
Its auditor, Ernst & Young, flagged a weakness in the company's internal controls. The company is working to hire more financial staff to help address its problems.
Bass will stand for election at the annual shareholders' meeting June 19 after he retires from Deloitte. He replaces entrepreneur and investor Kevin Efrusy.
"With their deep financial, accounting and operational experience, Dan and Bob will provide invaluable expertise to the Board going forward," said Eric Lefkofsky, Groupon's chairman.
Henry, 62, has been CFO of American Express since 2007. Bass, also 62, has been a vice chairman of Deloitte since 2006, and a partner there since 1982. He is retiring from Deloitte on June 2.
Groupon shares fell $1.27, or 10.6 percent, to close at $10.71. In aftermarket trading the stock rose 22 cents, or 2 percent, to $10.93.
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