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Apple just announced that it will be delaying the international release of their new "it" device, the iPad. Apple states that the launch will be pushed back to the end of May, with pre-orders starting on May 10th. Apple says the reason behind the delay is the strong U.S. demand. Apple says they shipped over 500,000 units in the first week, not only that they said there is also a huge demand for the 3G version that ships later this month in the U.S. The iPad has been "a runaway success" states Apple.
This is a huge disappointment for Apple fans outside the U.S. The initial lanuch date was nearing and those that weren't paying for marked-up iPads on eBay and Craigslist, just needed hold out a bit longer. But this isn't Apple's first delay. If you remember Apple was originally supposed to launch the iPad both domestically and internationally "by the end of March". That got switched to a U.S. only April 3rd launch and a International launch at the end of April. We had even reported back a few weeks ago that there was a April 24th date being tossed around. The iPad is expected to launch in this order of countries:
United Kingdom
I notice there is no India on the list, I just read that there is a possibility that the iPad wil not launch in India on the first wave of overseas releases. Some think India will be left out entirely, but we will just have to wait and see. I'm unsure how this effects international sales, if at all. We will keep our international readers posted with any news about the date.
[via PC World]


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Hey guys:
Been awhile since I visited here. Here is a bit of a recap of my current sobriety path:
Quit weed Feb 2019:
First 2.5 months - Could barely do anything except rest
3-6 months - Could do 2-3 hours of work per day (fatigue days hitting for 3-4 days at a time)
6-8 months - Random waves of fatigue from time to time
8-9.5 months - More or less felt cured and could work normally
At 9.5 months I fell off the wagon, smoked on and off for a month.
Been sober for 33 days now. Doesn't feel like the first time I've had paws. Just overall lack of motivation. Still working 2-3 hours a day, but just low energy and motivation. Wondering how long it will take for my brain to heal this time since I feel like I'm in the 6-8 months window right now.
Any thoughts or feedback? Thank you,

subset: commoncrawl


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London, 6th January 2012 – Aspectus PR, the specialist business technology, energy technology and financial technology PR agency, has appointed Joe Richards as Account Executive to strengthen its business technology team as it continues to attract new clients. Joe will also play a key role in growing Aspectus PR's Event marketing and Engineering practices. Joe is a graduate of The University of Birmingham and joins Aspectus following a successful internship.
"I am delighted to begin my career in such a successful and forward-thinking agency," commented Joe. "It's great to have the opportunity to work with so many cutting-edge business technology companies and I can't wait to get started."
Since establishing successful offices in London and New York, Aspectus has enjoyed robust growth, winning a number of major clients and also expanding its senior management team. The Agency continues to build out its international footprint and plans to establish offices in Hong Kong and Germany.
"We are very happy to have Joe onboard as we continue our expansion," said Alastair Turner, Managing Director, Aspectus PR. "We were very impressed by the enthusiasm and work ethic he demonstrated during his internship and his positive attitude made him a natural fit with our team. Joe's appointment will help us to continue to meet the needs of our growing portfolio of clients."
– ends –
About Aspectus PR
Aspectus is an international, business-to-business PR and marketing services consultancy specialising in financial and trading technology, energy, business services and corporate IT. As an integrated mainstream and digital communications agency, Aspectus PR provides targeted, intelligent, strategic and creative media campaigns that push all the right buttons with all the right people. For more information please go to: www.aspectuspr.com
Media contact:
Alastair Turner
Aspectus PR
E: firstname.lastname@example.com


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London city staff have unveiled a list of 19 potential transit projects that could be eligible for more than $370 million in senior government funding.
The bill is being split at the provincial and federal level, with $204 million coming from Ottawa and another $170 million coming from Ontario.
The list comes after Mayor Ed Holder announced in his State of the City address that he wants to pitch a transportation project to the province in 60 days. Holder's proposed project could include several infrastructure elements from a contentious $500-million bus rapid transit (BRT) plan.
The first five projects on the list above are what staff call an "unbundling" of London's current Rapid Transit Initiative and have been renamed to better represent the locations in which they'll be situated.
The Downtown Loop frames Dundas Place, circling along Queens Avenue, King Street, Ridout Street and Wellington Street. The Wellington Road Gateway takes transit riders from the city's downtown core to just south of White Oaks Mall. The East London Link creates a route between Fanshawe College's east and downtown campuses. The North and West connections would connect downtown to Masonville Mall and to Wonderland Road and Oxford Street, respectively.
The five routes share a combined price tag of $500 million, but the list allows councillors to decide which components of the Rapid Transit Initiative will see the light of day.
Holder, who campaigned against BRT, told 980 CFPL that he's confident he'll be able to support a number of the projects included.
He added that the list from city staff strays from the take-it-or-leave-it approach that was previously presented.
"By having broken down this project the way that we have, we're trying to find ways that the majority of council can come together to say: 'This is in the best interest of the majority of Londoners,'" Holder said.
"One size fits all doesn't always work in every situation."
Deputy Mayor and Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer announced his support for bus rapid transit in an open letter published in May of last year.
While the list presents BRT in segmented components, Helmer said different circumstances call for a different direction.
"In the previous council, the common ground was that we could agree on doing the entire BRT plan. I think everyone knows that's not the case anymore," Helmer said.
"We have to look at the government we've got provincially, the government we have federally [and] the council that we have here locally. We're going to have to make decisions about what we all agree on in terms of priorities."
Attached to the report from city staff was a list of 11 "screened projects". These projects included a number of road widening and extensions, with the most extensive of items being the renewal of the London Transit Commission's headquarters on Highbury Avenue.
While these items have been not been ruled out of the city's Transportation Master Plan, which extends until 2030, city staff have deemed them not ready to be presented within the current transportation funding window.
The public will have its say on what items stay on the list on March 20. The following week, councillors will debate the potential projects before reaching a final decision.
By the end of the month, the city will submit the selected projects to the province for senior government funding approval.


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From zooming on airboats to blasting with a jetpack or diving on wrecks — there's nothing dull about Florida, writes David Whitley.
When thinking of adventure destinations, Florida isn't exactly the first place to come to mind. The typical combination of families with children, sunseekers and retirees hardly screams adrenalin, while the Sunshine State's devotion to the needlessly large car doesn't encourage exercise in the great outdoors. But hunt beyond the headline attractions and Florida has a surprising amount to offer for active types.
Canoeing and kayaking
For many, the Florida Everglades are an excuse to get on an airboat - one of those ridiculous-looking craft powered by an industrial-size fan at the back. But airboat excursions tend to be mass-market affairs, whizzing you around the edge of the Everglades National Park for a cursory 30 minutes or so.
The Everglades - the soggy, swampy, slow-moving river that takes up much of the southern portion of the state - is much better explored by canoe. Providing you don't turn the thing over (unwise given the number of alligators hanging around), canoes are a much better option.
They allow you to take things at the requisite slow pace, discover the nooks and crannies that are too small for bigger craft, spot birdlife in silence and paddle under natural mangrove arches.
North American Canoe Tours offers both day-long and overnight Everglades canoeing adventures.
The Florida Keys archipelago is another obvious spot for canoes and kayaks. There's even a Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, which stretches 176 kilometres from Key West to Key Largo, if you've nine or 10 days to spare and arms of steel. Florida Bay Outfitters in Key Largo can kit you out for the island-hopping stretch, or take you out on three-hour and day-long tours for a taster run.
Other good spots for a paddle include the Wekiwa Springs State Park near Orlando and the waterways around Cocoa Beach.
North American Canoe Tours, +1 239 695 3299, evergladesadventures.com; Florida Bay Outfitters, + 1 305 451 3018, kayakfloridakeys.com.
Diving and snorkelling
The Florida Keys is the best part of the state (and arguably the US) for getting under the water. A barrier reef - the largest in the US, and one of the most impressive in the world - runs parallel to the islands.
Added to this is the large number of shipwrecks - wreck salvage was once Key West's main industry and made it the richest city per head in the US - that life has now grown around. The reef isn't accessible from the shore, so divers will need an open-water certificate. Most dive shops in the area run four-day courses that will get you up to speed or snorkelling is an option for anyone who's happy to stay near the surface. Good diving and snorkelling spots are dotted along the Keys, but if you can pick only one, then it should probably be the John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park. It's packed with nearly 600 species of fish and 40 species of coral, while the headline act is the Christ of the Deep - a huge bronze sunken statue of Jesus with his arms reaching up to the skies.
It's not quite getting back to nature, but balancing on wobbly wooden bridges then whizzing from tree to tree in a flying fox is hardly sedentary. Zipwiring seems to have become the standard adventure activity across the world for people who don't usually do adventure - soon every cruise-ship port will have a zipwiring course nearby - but it's undoubtedly good fun.
The Central Florida Zoo is a good place to clip on, tread gingerly across swaying walkways and fly across the woods.
There are two fairly substantial and testing courses that take about three hours to get around. Some of the wooden planks are brutes to get across, but there's a sense of achievement in doing so.
Flying with jetpacks
The man-made excitement continues in Key West, where space-age dreams of getting around by jetpack have become a reality.
Well, sort of, anyway. With JetPack Adventures, you can strap yourself into a harness that is attached by a tube to a floating superpump in the water.
Press the triggers and the water is expelled from your "jetpack" with such force that you're launched forwards and upwards. Getting the hang of it is rather tricky, but get it right and you can fly above the sea sci-fi style.
JetPack Adventures, +1 305 294 2000, jetpackadventures.com.
To really feel like you've developed superhuman powers, however, you can always set yourself the task of taming the Florida National Scenic Trail. As hiking routes go, it's a giant, stretching from the seashore at the end of the Florida Panhandle to the Everglades.
If you want to take on the 2240-kilometre trail, some careful planning and some awfully good boots will be required.
However, there are plenty of less severe day or weekend hike options that are within easy reaching distance of the big cities.
The bottom stretches through the Big Cypress National Preserve are about 45 minutes' drive west of Miami or Fort Lauderdale. More importantly, these chunks are among the best on the whole trail for wildlife spotting and variety of scenery - think swamp, prairie and forest.
The Florida National Scenic Trail, floridatrail.org.
California is usually seen as the US surfing capital, but the most famous surfer of them all comes from Cocoa Beach on Florida's east coast. The island town - connected to the mainland by bridge - hogs the waves on which 11-time world champion Kelly Slater learnt his trade.
Cocoa Beach has now morphed into something of a well-to-do surf town - as you can immediately tell from its gigantic surf shops. The Ron Jon Surf Shop sprawls over almost two complete blocks and it also runs a surf school. A variety of lesson programs are available, while they've also started branching out into stand-up paddle-boarding for novices who want to discover another way of tumbling into the water.
Ron Jon Surf School, 4151 North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach. +1 321 868 1980, ronjonsurfschool.com.
Trip notes
Getting there
Orlando and Miami are the main entry points to Florida. United and Qantas are among the airlines that can get you to both from Sydney, transiting in Los Angeles. Return ticket prices cost from about $2000.
More information


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Group may refer to:
A stratigraphic unit is a volume of rock of identifiable origin and relative age range that is defined by the distinctive and dominant, easily mapped and recognizable petrographic, lithologic or paleontologic features (facies) that characterize it.
Units must be mappable and distinct from one another, but the contact need not be particularly distinct. For instance, a unit may be defined by terms such as "when the sandstone component exceeds 75%".
Sequences of sedimentary and volcanic rocks are subdivided on the basis of their lithology. Going from smaller to larger in scale, the main units recognised are Bed, Member, Formation, Group and Supergroup.
A bed is a lithologically distinct layer within a member or formation and is the smallest recognisable stratigraphic unit. These are not normally named, but may be in the case of a marker horizon.
A member is a named lithologically distinct part of a formation. Not all formations are subdivided in this way and even where they are recognized, they may only form part of the formation.
The 1994 Group was a coalition of smaller research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom, founded in 1994 to defend these universities' interests following the creation of the Russell Group by larger research-intensive universities earlier that year. The 1994 Group originally represented seventeen universities, rising to nineteen, and then dropping to eleven. The Group started to falter in 2012, when a number of high performing members left to join the Russell Group. The 1994 Group ultimately dissolved in November 2013.
The group sought "to represent the views of its members on the current state and the future of higher education through discussions with the government, funding bodies, and other higher education interest groups" and "[made] its views known through its research publications and in the media".
University Alliance, million+, GuildHE and the Russell Group were its fellow university membership groups across the UK higher education sector.
Coronation Street is a British soap opera, produced by ITV Studios. Created by writer Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. It has been produced by Phil Collinson since 2010. The following is a list of characters introduced by Collinson in the show's fifty-first year, by order of first appearance. January saw three introductions; DC Moore (Pooja Shah), Marc Selby (Andrew Hall) and Frank Foster, played by former The Bill actor Andrew Lancel. Faye Butler (Ellie Leach), Jeff Cullen (Steven Houghton) and the soap's first Chinese character, Xin Chiang (Elizabeth Tan) arrived in February. Veteran actress Stephanie Cole joined as Sylvia Goodwin, the mother of established character Roy Cropper, in April.
June saw a new family take over the running of the Rovers Return for the first time as former EastEnders actress Michelle Collins and Taggart actor John Michie took on the roles of Stella Price and Karl Munro respectively. The couple were also joined by Stella's daughter Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley). Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) arrived in August and Frank's parents, Anne (Gwen Taylor) and Sam Foster (Paul Clayton) made their first appearances in September, along with Kirsty Soames (Natalie Gumede). Lesley Kershaw (Judy Holt) followed in October and Jeremy Sheffield began appearing as Danny Stratton in December. That same month saw the birth of Joseph Brown, the only child to be born that year.
This is a list of fictional characters in the British supernatural drama-comedy television series Being Human. The show's central premise follows a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost as they try to live together in modern-day Britain. Actors Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey and Aidan Turner composed the original core cast of the programme's first three series with Sinead Keenan joining the main cast in series 3. This setup began to change from series 4, and by the fifth series an entirely different werewolf, vampire and ghost trio played by Michael Socha, Damien Molony and Kate Bracken were starring.
Anna Clare Sawyer (Lenora Crichlow), known commonly as "Annie", is a ghost, appearing as she did at the time of her death in her early twenties. Up until her death, she had been living with her fiancé Owen (whom she later revealed had been her third serious relationship, her previous two having ended when her first boyfriend posted naked pictures of her on the Internet and when her second boyfriend drunkenly invited her mother to form a threesome). Following her death, she haunted the house in which she and Owen had lived while she was alive, and which Owen was now running as landlord (eventually renting it out to George and Mitchell). Annie's ability to be seen and heard by normal people depends on her state of mind, although supernatural creatures can always see her. Annie eventually falls in love with Mitchell and is devastated when he volunteers to be staked by George. When George and Nina are both killed in a war against the vampires, Annie takes responsibility for their daughter Eve, along with new housemates Tom McNair and Hal. In the Series 4 finale she sacrifices herself and baby Eve to destroy the Old Ones with a bomb Tom made. With her unfinished business taken care of, her Door to the other side appears once more, and she passes through it to reunite with her friends.
Group may refer to:
WorldNews.com | 28 Oct 2020
Russia Today | 27 Oct 2020
BBC News | 28 Oct 2020
Russia Today | 28 Oct 2020
China.dot.org | 28 Oct 2020


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Conor McGregor Not a Scumbag … Says Bas Rutten
Conor McGregor made a mistake when he attacked a UFC bus — but it's not like he beat his wife, so fans should give him another chance … so says MMA legend Bas Rutten.
"There's guys who beat up their wives. Guys who beat up their women," Rutten tells TMZ Sports … "I think that's way worse, to me, than something like [the bus attack]."
A lot of people are still pissed at Conor for the bus attack in Brooklyn that injured UFC staffers and fighters … but Rutten says, "We all did things like that."
"I mean, it's Conor McGregor … He did a lot of good. He got caught up in the moment. Let him figure it out."
"Of course, he's gonna have to pay. He's gonna have to go to court and make everything right," Rutten says … but Bas is confident Conor will survive that, too.


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We know you are getting overwhelmed with company emails, but wanted to update you on the status of Len's Automotive.
After a team meeting, as of this time, we will continue to stay open. We are aware servicing your vehicle is not a top priority. That being said, this may be a good time to be without your vehicle and get some overdue servicing done. We have confirmed that vehicle repair is on the "Essential Businesses" list. We want to help our customers by making sure they have reliable transportation if needed.
If possible when dropping off your vehicle, give us a call when you arrive and we can meet you in the parking lot to limit exposure with others. We will be maintaining social distancing and would prefer customers to leave their vehicles with us versus waiting while we service the vehicle.
When scheduling, please let us know the time when you would like to drop off your vehicle to help limit the number of people present at one time. Our staff will be using the proper disinfectants and protective items while servicing the vehicles. Our hope is to continue to provide employment for our staff and service to our customers but not sacrificing safety.
Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist in this process. Most importantly, stay safe and healthy; we will all get through this together.
Thank You,
The Team at Len's Automotive


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There are many tasty treats that you probably enjoy, but which aren't all that good for you: a big juicy cheeseburger, a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar filled with silky caramel.
Humans aren't alone in their love of things they shouldn't have. In fact, if you have a cat, it's likely that your meower goes mental for milk. It's not unusual for cat owners to catch their kitties lapping up the last few drops of milk in what was a bowl of breakfast cereal, or squeezing their heads into a mug of milky tea.
But just because your cat likes milk doesn't mean you should give her a bowl of it whenever she looks up at you with those big green eyes. Unfortunately for our feline friends, milk is not a very healthy option once they become adults. That's because most fully grown cats are intolerant to lactose, the sugars that exist in the white stuff.
In fact, drinking cow's milk is likely to give your cat an upset tummy, with a range of unpleasant - and usually very smelly - side effects.
If you want to give your four-legged friend a bit of milk as a special treat now and again, opt for a product that's been formulated for felines. But if this causes digestive problems, it's probably best to stick to other types of treats in the future.
In either case, be sure that your cat is normally fed a diet of nutritious cat food and that she always has access to plenty of fresh water. Of course, it's also important to note that kittens must have milk when they're growing, as it's the only source of nutrition they can consume until they're around four weeks old.
Kittens have a special enzyme in their stomachs that allows them to digest milk properly, but as they grow they stop producing it. What's more, the lactose level in cat milk is naturally lower than in cow's milk. If you're taking care of a young kitten, special formulas are available which can be bottle-fed and mimic the milk they would have received from their mothers.
Written by: Hannah


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Is It That Time Already?
For gardeners, this is the season of lists and callow hopefulness; hundreds of thousands of bewitched readers are pouring over their catalogs, making lists for their seed and plant orders, and dreaming their dreams.
-Katherine S. White in Onward & Upward in the Garden
Even though I feel like I haven't had any time off yet, it's already time to start thinking about making that seed order and planning the 2012 garden (where does the time go?). Throughout the gardening season my seed stash slowly degrades into a chaos, then in the middle of winter I gather everything around me to organize and sort it back into tidiness. It's a bit like weeding the garden after being lazy for a few weeks, it's a very satisfying chore! Perhaps I subconsciously do it because I enjoy it so much?
All the packets must be sorted back into their respective folders. Any seeds I didn't like will be put into a pile to be given away to someone who wants to try them. Seeds that are needed will be written on a list and then I'll sit down with my catalogs to order what I need and a few extra interesting things to try. I probably don't really "need" to order any seeds. No doubt your seed stash is like mine, much larger than any garden space you'll ever own!
While you're sorting through your seeds, keep in mind that seeds to have a shelf life and different seeds will be viable for different lengths of times. I won't rewrite the post I already did about The Shelf Life of Seeds, but here's a handy chart. (click on the image to head over to my Flickr and you can download it to put in your seed box for reference).
A few years ago I developed a really great seed organization system and I must admit it's been working rather well for me. I've been researching new ones though, and will be making an Ethel video soon to demonstrate a few option so you can find one that suites your needs.
Do you "spring clean" your seeds before you make your order? What do you do with old seeds & varieties you weren't happy with? Do you think this time rolled around faster than usual?Filed under Quote | Comments (19)
Organizing the Seed Stash
I finally settled on a method to organize the seed stash I've acquired over the past couple years. There were tons of great suggestions when I posted about it earlier this week. I found this nice metal box in the attic and a few empty folders in the office. After spending the afternoon cutting and labeling I'm just about done taming all the little envelopes of seeds.
I cut each folder in half and then trimmed to fit my box. This made them the perfect size for the small metal box. I organized the seed by type and planting season. So I have early spring greens, summer greens, and fall greens, etc. I printed out a list for the front of each file listing the contents and where they were acquired. I'll be able to see at a glance what's inside each folder. I also left space for noting date of sowing and extra info.
This should help greatly in my efforts to find specific seeds when I need them. No more sorting through the entire box of seeds to find the one pack I need that always seemed to be at the bottom. Finishing this task also made my seed ordering much easier and saved me from accidentally ordering some seeds I already had, but had forgotten about. Now that I've got the seeds under control, I need to think about starting a journal to keep track of the specific things I grow so I know what works well in my area/garden.
Do you keep a journal of the things you grow for future reference?Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (28)


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Unmatched Digital, Litho & Dye Sublimation
Print is not dead!
In fact, printing technology is not slowing down one bit. Whether its flyers, posters, branded gazebos, or professional dye sublimated (and tailor-trimmed) sport uniforms, if you want your logo on it, we will find a way. No matter how luxurious or humble your budget, visit Displayz to see our comprehensive range of brand-able promo goodies.


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SEOUL -(MarketWatch)- South Korean prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating flat-panel maker LG Display Co. (034220.SE) over its alleged infringement of rival Samsung Mobile Display's ultra-thin display technology.
"We are questioning 10 LG Display employees on alleged theft of OLED (organic light-emitting diode)technology from Samsung Mobile Display," said Choi Kil-su, a prosecutor at the supreme prosecutors' office in Suwon, South of Seoul, adding that the investigation started late last month.
An LG Display spokeswoman said that the company will fully cooperate with the investigation.
"All the suspects have joined LG Display from Samsung Mobile Display. We will fully cooperate if needed," a Samsung Mobile Display spokeswoman said.
LG Display shares fell 5.2% to KRW23,850 a while ago on the news.


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Yeoldbarn, Hello - and Welcome,
The coast of Sardinia is about 450 nm round. It might help if you could indicate - even roughly - which bit of that coast this wreck is near?
There were/are one or two fairly important airfields on Sardinia (a number of us may actually have been to some of them!). They would have been important during the time the Afrika Corps was in N Africa.
Peter Davies


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Are you thinking about buying your first house? Did you know that there is in fact more than one type of mortgage? First time home buyers who are better educated in their options experience much less stress and overall have a better experience when buying a home. Below we will talk about different mortgage options available to first time home buyers in Grand Rapids, MI and abroad.
1. FHA Loans are great for first time home buyers. FHA loans are federally insured loans. This type of loan accepts a wide range of credit scores. The minimum required down payment of 3.5% is extremely low which is great when you are buying your first home because it will leave you more cash after close for any projects that may arise. In addition to low down payments FHA loans also have low closing costs.
2. If you find a home in the perfect neighborhood that needs some repairs, another option with FHA is the 203K loan. This type of loan covers the cost of the property and the cost of necessary home repairs and upgrades. The repairs that qualify for this type of loan usually include: disability access, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, roofing, flooring, energy conservation, kitchen remodels, new appliances, room additions, decks, patios, bathroom remodels, new siding, finish attic or basement, and site grading. Labor costs can also be included in the loan. These repairs do need to be completed within six months and must be executed by a licensed professional. In a nutshell you can buy a home, choose the repairs and upgrades you want, have someone do them, and then finance all of this into your mortgage. Restrictions apply see your lender for details.
3. Another great loan option for first time home buyers is the Rural Development Loan. This is a zero down home loan for buyers purchasing a home in "rural areas". If you are buying your first house, hearing something like no money down could be the difference between continuing to rent or being able to buy that house. This type of loan also has low monthly mortgage insurance, which helps you keep your monthly mortgage bill down. The RD loan does have some restrictions, so please contact us for mortgage details.
If you do have money to put down on a house and good credit a conventional loan might also be a great option depending on your current situation. Conventional loans often times have lower interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs than government loans. loc
If you aren't sure which loan is the best for you to buy your first house then don't hesitate to give us a call. We can guide you to the right type of loan for you. We love helping first time home buyers in Grand Rapids. We are a local mortgage company in Grand Rapids, MI and look forward to working with you.


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10 Evening Routines That Will Make You Productive at Work and Life
Negative emotions can lower your immunity. They affect every part of your body. Carrying them up to sleep will affect your health causing you to lack the necessary rest your body needs.
Doing something that lights you up can help shift the mood. Force your mind to think of good thoughts.
This is a professional note extracted from an online article.
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
Key Ideas
... when you are ready to wind down your day. This includes not getting stuck in front of screens, social media or even doing a marathon of our favorite show.
The brain is firing up dopamine when you have so many random things that run in your mind — in turn, causing you to struggle to sleep.
Your brain relaxes when you do something that is delightful. It puts you in a safe zone where you can enjoy yourself for the time being.
Doing it just before going to bed is the best time because it helps to seal the positive energy that will condition your mind the next day.
Before going to bed every night, make a quick list of the things you will deal with the next day.
By planning the night before, the unconscious and subconscious mind will be working to generate ideas and solutions and pull information in the past memory to apply in the situation.
"Review your goals twice every day in order to be focused on achieving them."
Be reminded that there are things to be thankful for the day you just had.
Know that you have the chance to enjoy the comfort you have and that other people are longing for.
There's nothing more stressing than rushing early morning.
Making small adjustments during the night time on your greatest struggle each morning can help you be more productive the next day. It can be preparing breakfast or lunch or deciding on your outfit — be kind and help yourself tonight.
Share some precious time with people you value — whether it's your spouse, kids, parents or even yourself.
After dinner is the perfect time to mellow down a little bit and share some quality time with the people you value. Take advantage of that bonding time that will be remembered for decades.
Don't ever try to sleep with heavy thoughts in your mind. Remind yourself of the positive thoughts before going to sleep to help you bid the day goodbye in great shape.
Think of a powerful verse or quote you like. Let it settle in your brain. And leave it to the wonders of dreams and subconscious to convert them into positive things.
Let your imagination run wild. Let it wander on the possibilities daydreaming can give.
Visit places and create stories inside your mind. Visualize the dreams you secretly obsess over.
Key Ideas
Of all the different things you can try to improve your productivity, a morning routine is one of the most effective:
When it comes to productivity, getting enough sleep is essential. Any morning routine you develop needs to accommodate your sleeping rhythms.
And research indicates that 7-8 hours per day is a nearly universal requirement.
There isn't one perfect routine that will make you rich and happy overnight. Instead, there's different routines for different purposes: if you're focusing on health and fitness, starting with exercise or eating a healthy breakfast might go first. If you're working like crazy, getting straight to work on your most important tasks may be better than cluttering up my morning with different tasks.
5 more ideas
Key Ideas
Your rest is the most important thing you can do for your mind.
Our best way to rest is to sleep at night. During the key hours of rejuvenation, our mind gets ...
The endorphins that you get as a result of exercising work wonders for your mind. Researchers have shown that exercising improves overall brain function, long-term memory, and information processing skills.
Ask your mind to remember things that you would not ordinarily try to.
6 more ideas
Key Ideas
Balancing work obligations with meaningful family time is an important part of building a successful evening routine.
An evening routine starts with family time. Tackle some to-do's la...
Take steps to make it easier to sleep well.
one more idea


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- Join over 1.2 million students every month
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- Level: AS and A Level
- Subject: English
- Word count: 1759
"How is the theme of 'universal indifference' portrayed in The Outsider and Candide"?
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Kirby Kruger "How is the theme of 'universal indifference' portrayed in The Outsider and Candide"? Albert Camus's thought-provoking story of The Outsider and Voltaire's whimsical satire Candide both question faith and mankind's tendency to explain away events through the mystical nature of spirituality. Both authors seem to consider the idea of evil as part of a Divine Plan, or as an ultimate cause of good, as weak, and on the whole, unsatisfactory. They respond differently to this, though; Camus rejects religion completely, while Voltaire approaches the notion more cautiously by mocking mankind's fickle justifications for evil and blind faith. The first section of The Outsider almost seems irrelevant to the philosophical climax that dramatically completes Meursault's simple character. Through the striking contrast of the initial structure and fallaciously predictable content of the earlier sections, Camus delivers the message unexpectedly and dramatically. As a first-person narrative, the reader expects to finish the book with Meursault sincerely narrating his unremarkable life as he grows accustomed to jail; yet the change of setting does not really bring upon any renewed interest. Instead, the subtle introduction of the Patrician, whose irrational and blatantly irritable beliefs eventually annoy Meursault to the point of an philosophical outburst, whereby he declares his beliefs wholly and soundly to both himself and the Patrician. ...read more.
Humorous as is, it has the potential of tempting a reader into considering the possibility of God being indifferent to human affairs. The mention of the Lisbon earthquake in Chapter 5 is reminiscent of Voltaire's Po�me sur le d�sastre de Lisbonne, which he wrote in honour the actual Lisbon earthquake in November, 1775. This event played a major part in his life, and it provided him with indisputable proof that "all is well" was absurdity; it disgusted him to think that thinking men were under the guidance of a benevolent and concerned deity who would reward the virtuous. Therefore, the mention of the earthquake is a subtle, yet malicious, attack on believers of God and Optimism; 30 000 people died in the event, and that, to Voltaire, is proof that any Higher Power is completely indifferent to mankind and wellbeing. Candide employs a mixture of Horatian and Juvenalian satire; it jests at human folly and lashes out at human evil and corruption. Voltaire makes use of gross exaggeration, euphemisms and repetition in order to effectively drive his message through - it becomes so repetitive and unrealistic that it simply can't be ignored. Pangloss's tired old doctrine, "All is for the best", is constantly met with ironic contradiction, and a common form of irony is Voltaire's use of understatement in reference to tragedies and misfortune. ...read more.
Voltaire does not even reward the wealthy and fortunate characters with happiness; the Count Pococurante, a wealthy Venetian, is bored with life and unfailingly critical; Brother Girofl�e is a miserable monk who does not even find happiness after Candide's generous monetary donation. Voltaire is convinced that life is wrought with hurt and disappointment, and deserves no optimism or sacrifice, as the shortcomings of life vastly outweigh the benefits. There is, according to him, no point in praying to any sort of deity to end one's own petty troubles, because any form of Higher Power is completely indifferent to the lives and wellbeing of individual people. Camus's own view largely overlaps this, however, he is not particularly passionate in rejecting the theory of optimism, and does not share Voltaire's idea that God is a detached and pitiless being. Camus is an atheist, and rather than weeping for the evil of the world and satirising hope and belief, calmly denounces religion and the overwrought concept of human faith as a completely fabricated, useless value, and that humans waste far too much time trying to understand their own petty values and non-existent forces around them. Conclusively both writers are ardent in their allegation that, despite man's own inflated sense of self-importance, no greater force has anything to do with us at all, and that we are, with the possibility of a great Creator included, profoundly and universally alone. ...read more.
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I've been reflecting on my age. This year I turned 30 and was expecting some sort of wow moment but it hasn't happened yet. I remember being 20 and looking towards my 30th birthday with distain. Wouldn't that make me middle aged? But 30 definitely isn't as bad as I would have thought. It's kind of like being in your 20s but with more confidence, money and grace. There'll be some things I would miss from my 20s, but 30s has been pretty awesome so far.
I definitely miss being young and flirty. Life got serious for me early when I had my first daughter at 24 and married; but I still enjoyed being carefree, managing to grow my career and being free to move around.
I've enjoyed the benefits of being considered conventionally attractive and now that I'm over 30, I definitely notice I'm not as much on the radar. I don't really need to be as noticed anymore, as a mother and a wife, but you can't help but miss the days when your whole future was ahead of you and possibilities seemed endless. I'm not someone chasing after my youth but keeping up my appearance was so much easier in my 20s. There was more free time to look after tweezing, waxing, and shaving; beautifying was generally easier. Nowadays, I can go weeks looking like Godzilla. I've also cut back on the makeup time. I used to blend, sculpt and contour every day and, goddamn, I was able to look extra flawless after 20 minutes of caking it on. At 30, with 2 kids in tow, I can barely manage to throw on mascara and lipstick.
I don't miss being broke and unestablished though. That was the worst. For the longest, I could barely maintain a balance of $500 in my bank account. It was so stressful not knowing if I was ever going to make it. I spent years going into debt. Sometimes, I would imagine what my life would be if I had a job that was stable. I always imagined I'd have more in my life; a bigger apartment in a better location. But things aren't too bad. I'm now more established in my career and could job hop to most comparable companies.
I recognize that the next 10-15 years I'll be the most marketable based on my experience and age. Just trying to capitalize on that and make as much money as I can, while I can. Then I'll probably get an masters or law degree if I feel I'm aging out of being competitive. Or I can start a whole second career; to be honest, real estate is starting to feel tired.
Compared to my 20s, the relationship side of my life is pretty stable. From 20 to 23 it was fun to date. Parties and meeting people seemed so exciting like I can meet the love of my life at any time. Nothing happened because I actually met the love of my life at 18, who I married at 24; but the idea that I wasn't settled yet and living spontaneously was amazing.
I also hadn't mastered the concept of "all in good moderation" when it came to drinking. I was drinking garbage $5 vodkas like Smirnoff and watered down wine coolers. 30 year old me would prefer Grey Goose and Cranberry or an aged wine.
Being 30 years old, parties are fun. I mean, not in the same way they were in my 20s, but I finally learned how to relax and just enjoy the moment, and that's pretty amazing. I also learned how to small talk. I'm not socially awkward anymore and I no longer have high expectations that I'll either be meeting my partner for life or my new best friend. I can just enjoy people as they are and that is a gift.
On the other hand, I don't miss being naive and unexperienced about life. I spent a lot of time in my 20s not knowing how life works. I couldn't accept that life was unfair and I wanted to correct it so badly. Questions like: why are there homeless people, why are people so greedy and selfish, and why does that guy ignore me but like her? Now I can accept the answers as they are: the world is complicated and imperfect, not all problems can be fixed and the world doesn't revolve around me. The world's darkness doesn't disturb me like it once did. I guess I've gotten used to imperfection.
I have a good handle on what's happening around me and feel confident that I have enough life experience to handle confrontations/disagreements at work and in my relationships. I used to feel like I didn't have much to offer and constantly allowed others to walk all over me. I can stand up for myself better now. I've also learned how to let things go when they aren't going my way and not to dwell on the negativity that other people bring. That's a skillset I wouldn't trade for anything.
For me, my 20s was about being independent, learning about myself, enjoying my youth and beauty, and trying to get established. My 30s are going to be about gaining security, growing in self-confidence, gaining perseverance and taking my life to the next level. Looking forward, I finally have the resources and experience I need to do those things. There are really no excuses. The next 10 years are going to determine whether I spend my 40s in a midlife crisis or whether my 40s will be the most exciting years of my life. But overall I feel like my best years are just ahead of me.
So this is 30. I've made it to the 30 club.
Check out my other posts:
Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 18
How To Make A Change in Your Life
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: The Power Of Family
Tags: Life after 30 years old, 30 year old girl, important life lessons, over 30 years old, 20 years old, turning 30 year old woman, almost 30 years old, I am 30.


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"You must be very busy!"
"How do you do it?!"
"Are they ALL yours?!"
Being a family with 4 young children I get these remarks and questions more and more. I don't mind at all, and there's some truth in those statements! My daily tasks are growing, our house and time is full, and that's good! Yet, it is also true that within those wonderful, full, busy days there is struggle. Struggle to do my job well, to love my kids well, and to teach my kids to do likewise. Struggle to give up my desires and wishes and welcome Gods plan for my life. Struggle to put others before myself.
So herein lies the real question: Is struggle bad? NO! No, no, no! Without struggle and sacrifice, good cannot be accomplished. Look at the cross...Jesus took on suffering and sacrifice and even death to bring about life. He knew it was worth every bit of struggle...WE were worth His sacrifice. He did it out of love for us.
And so we are to do the same. Welcome the struggles. Don't take the easy road, laden with comfort and pleasures. Those things pass. Ask God for the strength to walk His path so we that may know Him better and become like Him, all for His glory.
For it is on this journey where growth takes place. Growth isn't easy, but it is through our daily struggles and sacrifices that virtue is to be cultivated. Just as with a garden, the seeds will not grow into a fruitful plant in a moment, but over the course of time, and with much care and attention given to it's growth. So it is with our lives: Patience, love, endurance, courage, temperance, humility...these virtues aren't produced over night. They take much time, struggle, and sacrifice to become a part of our lives. Yet, we are given much opportunity to practice and develop these virtues, and the opportunities are usually within our daily struggles and tasks! Simple opportunities like when your plans get changed unexpectedly for the worse and not complaining about it, or giving someone the last piece of chocolate you'd been thinking about all day, or choosing to do a kind deed to someone who's been irritating you. There are endless opportunities!
We must not give up but continue on and doing so all for love of Jesus, because where there is love, the burden becomes light, the task easy.
"Our lives for the most part are made up of little things, and by these our character is to be tested...little duties carefully discharged; little temptations earnestly resisted with the strength God supplies; little sins crucified; these all together help to form that character which is to be described not as popular or glamorous, but as moral and noble."
~ Fulton J. Sheen
~ Fulton J. Sheen


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"Just keep pitching!"
Catherine has been instrumental in my learning curve at getting my freelance writing started. She is a features writer and a blogger whom I admire greatly. Her generosity is boundless and she's just the right amount of naughty.
You can see her blog, Cup of Tea and a Blog here.
"Are you going to have a turn?"
"Are you too cool?"
"There's no such thing as too cool for the Slip and Slide."
'Nuff said.
I asked him if he wanted to hit me with a line and he said –
"Stuck around till the end"
"End? Am I dying?"
"We've been meaning to all get together and tell you"
With friends like these…..I think he's referring to the fact that we've been like family since I was and he was 19. I call him my brother.
I saw this gig and had me some fun…. also, I love someone with two first names.


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10 Tips for Throwing a Successful Yard Sale
I don't know if I should admit this but I associate spring time with garage sales.
As the snow (finally) melts away, I have begun to see more and more sale signs popping up on Fridays and Saturdays. This morning I saw one on the corner of a popular intersection. Since I was kid free for the morning I wanted to swing by the sale and see what they had. However, I didn't. Want to know why?? Because I couldn't read the dang sign and I didn't know which direction to go.
I was reminded how much of a pet peeve bad garage sale signs are to me and secretly wished the person throwing the yard sale had read my post last year that shared tips for throwing a sale. Specifically tip #3.
With yard sale season on the horizon I figured it'd be good to pull this post out of the archives to hopefully serve as a reminder of some things to do to make your upcoming garage sale a success.
10 Tips for Throwing a Garage Sale
Throwing a garage sale is a lot of work but totally worth it if you do it well. I've thrown two in the past two years and both ended up making me a lot of money and getting rid of a lot of stuff!
1) Location, Location, Location
This is something that may be out of your control but having your sale on a busy, easy to access street can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars. Lots of people who stop by garage sales are doing it impulsively. I even had quite a few people stop by on their way to work! If you have a friend who lives on a busy street, it'd be worth the pain of hauling your stuff over there to use their yard. In fact this is what Rachel did at my last sale and she ened up making 2-3 times as much as she did at the sale she had at her house.
2) Partner Up
If you can, find a partner in crime to throw the sale with. This is helpful in a lot of different ways. Your sale will be larger which attracts more people. It also splits a lot of the work up such as tracking down tables, setting things up, keeping things organized, etc. It's also just fun to have a person to work it with (and laugh at some of the crazy things people buy).
3) Signs
Good signs are CRITICAL. People need to be able to get the necessary information from a quick glance. Most people don't even pay attention to the address or other information on a sign. They just follow the arrows. Mine were really simple. Here is an example of one.
Make a lot of signs! I ended up making 12 for my sale. The better the directions, the more people you will have.
To avoid having a sign that wraps around the pole that you hang it up on, try this little trick out: tape wooden kabob sticks to the back of your sign. That way the wind won't mess with it! Worked great for me.
Here's another great sign hanging tip: at busy intersections, put a sign on the corner where people can (impulsively) turn right. Hopefully the picture I whipped up below will help you understand what I mean.
4) Tables
Get as many tables as you can! Having your stuff on tables not only makes it easier for people to browse and see things but it also communicates you care about the stuff you are selling. If you just throw stuff all over your yard, it shows people you think it is junk as well.
5) Organization
Hang up your clothes, cluster items that are similar, stack your books, take things out of bins and boxes, wipe the dust off things, and do your best to make things look organized, clean, and taken care of.
6) Curb Appeal
Like I said before, you want people to impulsively stop by your sale. Put big items by the curb so people driving by can easily see them.
7) Price EVERYTHING
Seriously. Make it very clear what every item costs. Most people don't like to speak up and ask for or offer a price. You want to make it easy for them to know what they will pay. The items that I didn't have priced were the ones that didn't sell very quickly. (I eventually caught on to why people were looking at them and then passing them up).
8 ) Have an electric outlet/batteries available to test items
Don't take it personally, but people won't trust you. They want to test out the electronics to make sure they work. If you don't have an outdoor outlet, run an extension cord. Also, have batteries available to prove that items work.
9) Fanny Pack
Wear it and wear it with pride baby! You'll be on your feet, moving around the sale quite a bit. The last thing you want to worry about is someone swiping your hard earned cash. As larger bills accumulated, I would move them to inside my house. A fanny pack also helps people to know who to pay or who to direction their questions. It's the mark of a seasoned garage saler.
10) Give information
It's very helpful to give the buyer a little information about the item. For example, on quite a few items, I had the price tag AND a little post-it explaining what the item was, what it did, or how old it was. I also made special notes if something was brand new. Rachel was smart and printed out what some of her baby items were going for on ebay and taped it to the item. That way people would SEE they were getting a great deal!
Seems like a lot of work, doesn't it? I'll be honest with you, it is! Just think of this way: people are paying you to take your junk away. All you have to do is set up the platform for them to do it. So now that you are properly trained, go clean out those closets and basements and get selling!


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Research in Kent University
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College of Kent provides college student support support to college students. Student Assistance offers suggestions about many well being issues such as finance as well as funding, benefits open to students and so on. University associated with Essex offers counseling providers to it's students. Counsellings personnel offers help with educational, interpersonal, personal or even emotional issues.
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FN1Financial support: This work was supported in part by MEASURE Evaluation, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—at the time of this research through cooperative agreement GHA-A-00-08-00003-00—and implemented by the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the U.S. government. Lanakila McMahan was supported in part by a STAR Graduate Fellowship from US EPA.
FN2Authors' addresses: Alice Wang and Mark D. Sobsey, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, E-mails: email@example.com and email@example.com. Lanakila McMahan, U.S. Agency for International Development, Grand Challenges for Development, Washington, DC, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Shea Rutstein, ICF International, The Demographics and Health Surveys Program, Fairfax, VA, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Christine Stauber, Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Jorge Reyes, Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, Encuesta Demografica y de Salud Familiar, Lima, Peru, E-mail: email@example.com
Disclaimer: Alice Wang is a cofounder of Aquagenx LLC, the makers of the Compartment Bag Test. However, this research was conducted prior to the founding of this company.
- The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 96, Issue 4, 5 Apr 2017, p. 970 - 975
f Household Microbial Water Quality Testing in a Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey: Evaluation of the Compartment Bag Test for Escherichia coli
The Joint Monitoring Program relies on household surveys to classify access to improved water sources instead of measuring microbiological quality. The aim of this research was to pilot a novel test for Escherichia coli quantification of household drinking water in the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Peru. In the Compartment Bag Test (CBT), a 100-mL water sample is supplemented with chromogenic medium to support the growth of E. coli, poured into a bag with compartments, and incubated. A color change indicates E. coli growth, and the concentration of E. coli/100 mL is estimated as a most probable number. Triplicate water samples from 704 households were collected; one sample was analyzed in the field using the CBT, another replicate sample using the CBT was analyzed by reference laboratories, and one sample using membrane filtration (MF) was analyzed by reference laboratories. There were no statistically significant differences in E. coli concentrations between the field and laboratory CBT results, or when compared with MF results. These results suggest that the CBT for E. coli is an effective method to quantify fecal bacteria in household drinking water. The CBT can be incorporated into DHS and other national household surveys as a direct measure of drinking water safety based on microbial quality to better document access to safe drinking water.
- 03 Oct 2015
- 10 Nov 2016
- 06 Mar 2017


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EXETER — Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast needs more Dave O'Neills.
EXETER — Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast needs more Dave O'Neills.
For the past eight years, O'Neill, 50, of Greenland has served as a Big Brother to Connor O'Brien of Exeter. Now 16, O'Brien said he met O'Neill when he was just 8 years old, and at first, the relationship felt like one between a father and son.
"Then he started to become more of a friend. A good friend," he said.
O'Brien said his mother connected him with Big Brothers Big Sisters because his father has been in jail and out of his life since he was 3. He said when people ask him where his father is, he is quick to point to his Big Brother instead.
For O'Neill, O'Brien has been like a son. O'Neill got married to his wife, M.J., two years ago, and they live with their two dogs at their Great Bay Road home, but have no children of their own.
"Honestly, spending time with Connor has been very fulfilling. It's fulfilled that paternal instinct," he said.
When signing up as a Big Brother, O'Neill said he filled out a profile so he would find the best match. He sought a child who enjoyed being outdoors, but on their first meeting, O'Brien asked if he wanted to play video games.
Since then, though, they have gotten into a routine that involves various activities. They go for walks in the woods behind O'Neill's house or at Stratham Hill Park. They go to the movies and even went on a ski trip to Sun Valley in Idaho with O'Brien's mother and O'Neill's wife earlier this year.
"I used to thrash him at ping-pong," O'Brien said.
"We used to have epic ping-pong matches," O'Neill concurred. "He never thrashed me."
O'Neill has also served as a mentor to O'Brien, particularly as he has watched him grow up. He said they have talked about drugs and alcohol, responsibility and other "pitfalls of adolescence."
When asked what the relationship has done for him, O'Brien said, "What hasn't it done for me? That would be a shorter list."
O'Neill said that the benefit the relationship has had on his life has also been immeasurable.
"I've always gotten a huge return from this," he said. "He's going to be in my life forever."
What O'Neill hasn't been able to do is convince any of his male friends that they should serve as a Big Brother. He said he has touted the virtues of volunteering with the organization in the past, but his friends all tell him they are "too busy" to take part.
That is not new for the organization, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, said Stacy Kramer, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast. January is National Mentoring Month, and the organization will be holding a recruitment drive in hopes of bringing in more volunteers.
As of Dec. 10, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast had 69 children on a waiting list who hoped to be matched up with a "Big," she said. Fifty-four of them are boys. But the group has worked hard over the past year to reduce its waiting list. Kramer said it used to be more than 100 children long and they temporarily stopped interviewing boys because they knew they could not find matches.
"We were saddened about kids coming in (with no matches). We just didn't want kids coming in and having to wait," she said.
According to figures provided by Kramer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast serves 190 children in Strafford County and 185 in Rockingham County.
Children enroll with the organization for a number of reasons: 46 have an incarcerated parent, 131 are from families receiving other forms of assistance and 156 are enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs. The common factor, she said, is that all the children need a positive role model in their lives. Seventy-five percent of boy participants come from a single-parent home, usually with their mothers, she said.
Kramer said Big Brothers Big Sisters asks for a one-year commitment from its volunteers; average partnerships last around three years. Volunteers only have to meet with their child for two to four hours a few times a month and there is no financial obligation, she said.
"It's just about being there for the child as a mentor," she said. "It's doing the things you love and just sharing it with someone else."
For information on becoming a Big Brother or Sister, call 430-1140 or visit www.bbbsgs.org.


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I am much honoured with your Excellency's commands which I received in a letter delivered by Capt Watis.
We are all very certain in this country that the Tuscarora Indians are very great scroundrells they have been before me in Council examined and interrogated by Captn Watis most of the facts charged on them fully proved yet they absolutely refuse to make any satisfaction. The good people in this Province are far from likeing the vile Practises of these fellows and will not assist them on any occasion but rather favour any men you send against them—These Tuscaroras were in a very peaceable and quiet way before Sir Richard Everard was Governor but they are absolutelyr Watis will inform your Excellency that I used my endeavours to perswade them to give reasonable Satisfaction for the injures they had done your people I shall be very proud to receive your commands upon all occasions that offer for your Service and desire the honour to call myself


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Recently, I bought a $200 Visa gift card from Staples and I either threw out the activation code or I lost it and I didn't have my order number either.
I thought I had just lost out on $200. Manufactured spending has really low margins so if you lose $200 it can take some time before you make that back.
Luckily, I saw that Travel with Grant gave some advice on how to active your gift card before the activation card comes. I assumed it should work just as well for me. I called Gift Card Mall and was able to activate the card by talking to a rep who only asked my name and address and the gift card number. 2 hours later my card was active. Boom! Thank you Travel with Grant


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Many plastics and other materials used on farms and vineyards can be recycled.
Some of the materials and chemicals that are routinely used on our farms may be hazardous or contain hazardous chemicals. When these products are no longer needed it is necessary that they are disposed of in an appropriate manner to ensure that the environment is not contaminated and that there is no risk to people's health.
Agrecovery offers solutions for the safe disposal of unwanted agrichemicals, and the recycling or recovery of empty containers, drums and IBC's.
The services offered include:
The services offered include:
Check if your household batteries can be recycled, then simply take them to your local resource recovery centre in a plastic bag.
Check the packaging – recyclable types are those containing mercuric oxide, zinc air, silver oxide and lithium.
Check the packaging – recyclable types are those containing nickel cadmium, nickel-metal hydride and lithium.
Car batteries (lead-acid batteries) can be taken to the Resource Recovery Centres free of charge.
You can take recyclable batteries to any Tasman Resource Recovery Centre.
Batteries that cannot be recycled include standard non-rechargeable household batteries such as AA, AAA, C, D and so on.
These batteries contain zinc carbon, zinc chloride or alkaline manganese, which are safe to dispose of in your household rubbish.
There are lots of options for recycling electronic waste in the Nelson Tasman region. We recommend electronic waste is recycled rather than taken to your local Resource Recovery Centre for disposal in the landfill.
We also provide free disposal of selected batteries at Resource Recovery Centres.
Tasman District Council supports e-waste recycling through a $20 subsidy for all Tasman residents and businesses.
The subsidy is applied as a discount for most e-waste items (anything with a plug or a battery) at the Nelson Environment Centre.
Download the E-waste subsidy coupon and price list (pdf, 110 KB)
Please contact the Nelson Environment Centre to arrange to drop-off or collection. Please note there is an additional cost for the collection service.
31 Vanguard Street, Nelson,
Phone: 03 545 9176
Find out more about electronic waste on the Nelson Environment Centre website
Electronic waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the world. In New Zealand we generate around 80,000 tonnes of e-waste per year. Some e-waste contains dangerous metals and other substances that can be toxic to the environment and to human health if disposed of or handled inappropriately. Some e-waste may also contain valuable and scarce resources that should be recovered and recycled rather than landfilled.
Resource Recovery Centres collect all unused paint and containers (not just Resene) under the Resene Paintwise scheme:
More info on the resource recovery centres.


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Clean Code Principles
Your singular focus should be on maintaining your own high standards and creating the best possible product for your client.
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What Is Clean Code?
Clean code is a philosophy that I follow when I code. Actually, to me, it feels more like a religion than a philosophy! It's the idea that your code should be precise and as close to perfect as possible. If you have more code than you need, it shouldn't be there. There shouldn't be anything superfluous, and I go so far as to say that there shouldn't even be superfluous whitespace. You want your code to be as efficient, readable, and maintainable as possible, and instead of only "solving the problem." I always put in the extra time to also focus on the design of my code.
It all started in 2001 when I was reading the Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas. I read statements (like, "never accept a broken window,") that resonated with me.
It's very easy to visualize this. Imagine that you have a house and it starts to fall apart because there's no blueprint to fix it, and it gets worse and worse until the roof caves in. Or, you have a shopping cart that's been abandoned on the street corner and that people start throwing their trash into. Pretty soon, the whole cart is full of garbage that then spills over. In both cases, if you don't set clear boundaries and rules, you'll run into problems in the long term. I've joined new companies before where the teams have created dirty code, and it's not fun to work there. I realized that when people start off lazy with no sense of responsibility for their code, it very quickly starts to decay. They then end up having to spend hours and hours fixing and refixing the lines every time a change is made somewhere else. Nobody needs code like that.
I refer to myself as a pragmatic perfectionist. It means that on one hand, I deal with problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of just depending on vague ideas and theories. On the other hand, I want my code to be perfect as possible the first time, not because I like wasting time, but because I'm thrifty enough to see that it'll save me way more time later on.
How to Implement Clean Coding Design
So, how does one create clean code? Well, first of all, you can't think of your project as a coding project; you have to think of it as a designing and planning process. Developers often rush into the code because they feel pressure from their managers or whomever to get the job done quickly. In contrast, a clean coder makes sure he fully understands the problem before beginning to code. Imagine you're building a house, but you decide to only build a flimsy foundation. If you then decide to expand the house, you're going to have to waste more time and money rebuilding the foundation. That's why, to me, the first step in the process is to have a discussion with the client to find out exactly what he or she wants.
That leads me to the next step for clean code: creating this common language, or a "ubiquitous language," if you follow the ideas of Domain-Driven Design. The wording of code is very important because you want your variable names, class names, and package names to make sense no matter who is looking at the code. Now, some developers will say, "For God's sake, let's just use some stupid name and change it later."
While this may appear to be the quickest solution, the team, or even the same developer who wrote it, might get lost in these directionless names. Every abstract word in the code might give different team members different concepts as to the direction of the project. If I'm thinking of programming a pear and you're thinking of programming an apple, we'll end up with a useless apple-pear hybrid.
If everyone involved, from clients through to developers, communicates well during the design process, we initiate this common "ubiquitous language" that evolves with the project. The goal is a complete, understandable program, written by an entire team, yet looking as if it has been written by an individual. It should consist of simple elements that join together to communicate complex ideas. We should avoid terms that are ambiguous and don't convey proper understanding. Communicating in this manner will help us prevent problems, rather than having to fix them later. Now, we can confirm whether the client wants an apple or a pear, resulting in a satisfied client at the end. That extra hour spent on discussions at the beginning can really assist the direction of a project and save many hours later on.
Estimation Gambling
One of the difficulties with clean coding is estimating your timeframe. A lot of developers have a fear of being honest with their managers, which is why I think it's important to trust your manager. Say you have a gut feeling that a project will take ten days, but you're scared to say "ten days," so you figure, "Well, if I work really hard and I work extra hours and if everything works fine, I should be able to make this in eight days." I call this estimation gambling. So, you've decided on a timeframe and you go to your boss or client and you say, "I'll make it in eight days." Guess what? Many managers will come back to you and say, "I'll give you four!" So, a project that you know will probably take ten days, if it's bug-free, is now getting barely any time, and now you're rushed and you can't make the code as clean as you should.
Usually, I take everything into account. If I feel like a project will take ten days, I usually tell my client fifteen. That doesn't mean I spend the first five days lounging around. I try my hardest to finish that project based on my gut feeling, but it often happens that my clients will change requirements, or maybe my initial design won't work out, so I'll need those extra five days.
This is a hard thing for a developer to do, especially when your co-worker claims he or she can do it in half the time. Sure, maybe they'll get this job, but when the result is crap, you'll get the next one. On a flexible team, your boss might let you have extra time if you don't finish on time, but that's also gambling. A client will rarely be as forgiving. Never gamble with how much time you'll take. You have to have trust in yourself and in your knowledge.
To me, being a software craftsman is about having a focused attitude and about taking responsibility for your code, your job, and your time. So, from beginning discussions to end results, your one focus should be on maintaining your own high standards and creating the best possible product for your client.
System Design
OK, so now that we have our vision, our common language, and our timeframe, we can begin to actually plan out our code. The way I do this is by drawing boxes on a white board that represents our system and how different components of our system will work together. The goal of this is to visualize how our system will function and to discuss the most efficient way to have our components interact. When you find complexity in your design, look for ways to simplify — complex areas are hotbeds for bugs and code breaking.
Now, you've got your design, but what about your neighbor? His idea for developing the same system might be completely different than yours, and this is where we have more discussion. Working in small groups, I always believe developers should debate and discuss their system. This helps to make the system more efficient and effective. It also helps to maintain a unified vision for the code and keep team spirits up as everyone is working together.
I like to take these boxes as an opportunity for further communication with the client. They don't usually understand code, but they do understand boxes and drawings with business terms in them. You can ask them, "Is this what you were thinking of?" and have them participate in the process. This is one of the most powerful aspects of system design that many developers fail to utilize because even people who don't understand code can still understand the overall concept of the design.
Don't be overly concerned when disagreements amongst the team and between the team and client arise. A disagreement is a great indicator that further refinements or adjustments are needed, and should be seen as a chance to improve the result, rather than as a threat. They just mean that you need to talk more until you come to a common understanding. A lightweight, team-based approach with open discussion is key here. Companies with flat hierarchies have an easier time promoting this type of discussion. Always get the client involved in the discussion as early as possible. Sometimes, the reason for the difference of opinion might be that the client is unaware that their choices may lead to bad performance, difficult maintainability, or high costs. So, ask them, "Do we really need this feature now? If we do, can we simplify it?"
From the other side, developers are often unaware of the compelling business reasons that may have led the client to ask for the added complexity. Often, clients want a lot of unnecessary features, and the developers try to provide them. While I believe that the developer's job is to enable the client, you would not be doing the client a favor by just following his or her instructions blindly without challenging those that appear impractical to you. Differences need to be thrashed out with lots of respect and trust on both sides. If you manage to put ego aside and facilitate this process, the results are bound to be fruitful for both sides. Both sides must keep asking questions and challenging each other's point of view until they come to a common understanding. This will highly increase the chances of producing a successful product that does exactly what the client needs it to do.
On top of this, one of the things I often hear developers say is, "Oh, let's add some extra feature because we might need it in the future." Never do that. I used to do that, but I've realized it's a useless waste of time. Worse than that, it's actually harmful. When you over-complicate the code by adding extra features, you are making the code harder to read, understand, maintain, and test. By doing this, you're inviting bugs into your code. So, these unnecessary extra features are truly evil! You don't know the future, and nine out of ten times your assumption will be wrong. Even if you were right that a feature would be necessary later, it might only be needed two years down the road, and by then, you might have found a better way to do it.
If you're building a house and you decide to add an extra room once the foundation has been laid, it's going to cost huge amounts of time and money. On the other hand, software is different. Software can be changed iteratively for a much lower cost. Changing it is not easy, but it's certainly a lot easier than adding rooms to a house. The better the software has been built, the easier and therefore cheaper it will be to make changes. As a programmer, simplistic code is what you should always strive for.
Writing the Code
Finally, after all of this designing, you can start coding. As you can see, there is a lot going on before the coding even starts, and that's one of the differences between clean code and dirty code: the design behind it.
A misunderstanding many people have is that because of all the time they spent on design, their code will be better right away and it can just be written in a straightforward way. That isn't the case. You should still stay regimented and carefully craft and test your code, even if you think your design is flawless. There is much more to software development than just doing a quick design and writing a few lines of code.
In an ideal situation, you should start with tests. If possible, I recommend using Test-Driven Development, TDD. Start off with an integration or acceptance test that fulfills a concrete business goal, and then follow that with many smaller unit tests. You should write the code after you write the test and then as soon as you have a green test, you can restart and refactor your code.
This "test-first" approach is very challenging for an organization that does not have flat organizational structures. To be able to work like this, an organization needs to be based on open communication and an iterative experimental approach without a hierarchical, top-down management style. The managers need to fully trust their team and hand over responsibility to them. However, there is still a long way to go with implementing this approach in most companies, where there are still many fears and blockades to contend with. This approach remains in strong contrast to the hierarchical management culture still found in the majority of organizations today.
Because of this, we need to start with small steps, and hopefully, companies will evolve over time. One small step is to replace the "test-first" with a "test-last" approach — what matters most, at the end of the day, is that the code is actually tested. The test will refine our requirements again and allow us to focus on the functionality of our code — that is, its design and structure, rather than how it operates technically. A developer needs to remember that he or she is primarily coding for the business, and not for him or herself, so the wording needs to be very clear. A misunderstanding of any kind among developers is going to result in a bug. Granted, this kind of bug won't stop your code from working, but when another developer tries to use your methods in a way you hadn't intended, further bugs will result.
I usually compare writing code to writing a book. No author writes their book starting with chapter one, then moving on to chapter two, all in order, making each one perfect before starting the next. An author starts off with an outline, then starts improving every page, then revises again and again until finally, the book is perfect. In terms of coding, that means moving past the first green test and recognizing that the "but it works" philosophy isn't a good one. You have to improve on your code until it is perfect. You're not only testing to see if the code works; you're also testing to make it as clean and precise as possible.
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Published at DZone with permission of Marcus Biel, DZone MVB. See the original article here.
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Reckless Review: Bless Your HeartChristine Orlando at . Updated at .
Not only did Reckless Season 1 Episode 2 deliver enough serious twists and turns that I had to hold on to my sofa, it also taught a valuable lesson in Southern etiquette. Now that's multi-tasking.
One of my first thoughts was how Jamie is surrounded by hot men. She's up against Roy in the courtroom and up against Preston in the bedroom. If all the men in the city are this good looking, perhaps I need to book a trip to Charleston sometime soon.
With the exchanging of keys, Jamie seemed to make it clear that Preston has been upgraded from booty call to boyfriend. Unfortunately, the poor girl has no idea about his dirty little secret…but it turns out it's not quite as dirty as we thought.
Preston's working undercover to take down Terry and his crew of corrupt cops. I didn't see that coming any more than I expected to see his handsome face on that video last week.
As a detached observer, I can almost understand why Preston had to join in with the boys as they took turns with Lee Anne (that's assuming he didn't know she was drugged). As a girlfriend... Hell no!
Despite Jamie's harsh retort to Roy in this Reckless quote when he failed to deliver the proof…
You want to play dirty, that's fine but I warn you. You're playing with the best.Jamie
On some level, Roy has planted the seeds of doubt in her mind. She's too smart and too curious to let that go.
Roy and Jamie continued their courtroom rivalry on a custody case. When the bullets started to fly in Kathy's home, I immediately placed my bets on Erica. But when the hitman gave up her cell phone number a little too quickly, I started to wonder if Kathy had set her up.
I both love it when I get it right…and hate it. Sometimes it's fun to be surprised.
There were several stand out scenes in this episode, starting with Roy explaining a Southern saying I'd often heard but never truly understood until now…
Bless your heart. That's what we say when we don't like something.Roy
Something tells me I'm going to start using that in real life.
Also, Roy and his daughters sharing a toast online was one of the sweetest scenes of the hour. When the little girl told her Daddy she was proud of him, I almost shed tears she was so darn cute.
Then there was Vi and the IT tech, Ed. Loved that she gave him all the hand sanitizer she'd brought along when he called her out and how she later told Jamie...
IT guy made me like a hooker in Sunday school.Vi
Finally, there was Roy and Terry meeting over pool as Terry gave his take on that scandalous video and what led up to it.
Terry: Lee Anne was the hottest piece of ass in the department and she knew it.
Hard to argue with that, although how you get there to drugging the girl is quite the leap. Of course, was Lee Anne really drugged? It's hard to know who to trust here. I'm still trying to get a handle on Lee Anne. One moment she seems like the innocent victim but then I remember that opening scene of her and Terry up against the fence with the cuffs. No question she was just as into it as he was.
Wait! Lee Anne's married! Terry's lucky the guy didn't hold him under the water and drown him. I'd guess he's got the upper body strength to do it. And did you notice that they made a point of showing us that shotgun as Lee Anne and her hubby were in bed? Am I reading too much into that or is that a sign of things to come?
As much as Terry can be a complete ass, he also seems to have moments when he's a good cop. I love that dichotomy and Shawn Hatosy pulls it off well. One moment Terry's doing his job and tracking down a killer, the next he's doing something completely Reckless.
It's only the second week of Reckless but I find I'm totally hooked.
Your turn, TV Fanatics. Do you believe Lee Anne was drugged on that video?
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.


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A hundred years ago, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie wrestled their way to become the two richest people in the known universe by harnessing new technologies in oil drilling and steel manufacturing. Now, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are part of a new generation of capitalists racing to invest their already huge wealth in rocket launch and satellite technology to propel themselves and their investors to further interstellar fame and fortune.
While many of the companies leading the way in the new space race are privately owned, there are many listed companies that are heavily involved in the wider industry and the repercussions for the existing satellite and communications industry is likely to be significant.
So far in 2019, two rockets have launched that have potentially inflicted the first of a thousand mortal wounds for the current satellite industry – and that's even before you include plans from Bezos's Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).
Best known of the new generation of space explorers is Musk's SpaceX and its Starlink project, which aims to create a 'constellation' of satellites in a low orbit around the Earth designed to provide low-latency, high-bandwidth broadband services around the world — and make enough money for Musk to complete his real dream of sending humans to live on Mars.
Via its Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX launched the first 60 Starlink satellites and said it has the funding in place to build and launch enough satellites to begin using a network that it eventually foresees will number 11,943 satellites.
Technology and manufacturing innovation
This is just one small step for the new breed of space racers as part of a giant technological leap that has not only excited public attention but also allowed them to get the jump on their old-school rivals - the simple concept of lowering costs.
By standing on the shoulders of giants to make the most of the technology and expertise developed over several decades by state-funded research at NASA, the European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos, SpaceX and others have also harnessed new manufacturing ideas and a modern recycling ethic.
For example, the expense of thrusting a satellite weighing anything from six tonnes up to 11 tonnes into space are vast, so the ability of rocket companies such as SpaceX and Bezos' Blue Origin to reuse their rockets again and again means they can reduce costs considerably. SpaceX was offering a launch discount of 40% compared to incumbents.
The design of satellites themselves has also slimmed down costs.
Low-earth orbit (LEO) microsatellites – such as the 10cm square CubeSats developed by NASA – are allowing the creation of low-earth orbit 'mega-constellations' to provide wide coverage above the planet.
Built on assembly lines using mass-produced parts, these LEO satellites have a shorter lifespan but are a thousandth of the weight of a traditional satellite. Not only does their size mean many more can be launched at once, their cost at around US$1mln is a fraction of the US$220-$250mln Inmarsat paid for just one of its GlobalXpress satellites.
Starlink's flat-panel design, for example, ensured each satellite weighed approximately 227kg, allowing SpaceX to take full advantage of its rocket's capacity.
Bezos, Musk …and Wyler?
Although currently playing catch-up with Musk's SpaceX, Bezos' has two irons in the space fire and the funds to make them reality.
As well as his private Blue Origin side project, regulatory filings recently revealed Amazon's Project Kuiper plans, named after the Kuiper Belt that spins around our solar system.
Amazon's Kuiper plan for a 3,236-strong LEO satellite network is designed to serve around 95% of the world's population and make the retailer a global internet service provider.
"There are billions of people around the world who lack access to broadband internet. Our vision is to provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to many of these unserved and underserved communities around the world," Amazon said.
However, this is a long-term project and is expected to take many years.
Challenging this high-profile, low-orbit pair is US- and UK-based OneWeb, a start-up that in February launched the first of 600 LEO satellites that will begin providing high-speed internet access by 2021.
That same month OneWeb, which was founded by industry veteran Greg Wyler, raised $1.25bn from investors including WeWork backer SoftBank to take its total funding close to $3.5bn.
Fuelled by this cash injection and a manufacturing joint venture with Airbus SE (EPA:AIR), OneWeb targets the launch of 30 satellites per rocket by the end of this year.
This trio are far from lost in space, as more than 600 companies have drummed up around almost US$18bn in investment in eight years, according to data from Northern Sky, of which US$7bn of that was raised in the past two years.
Earth-bound rivals?
In the medium term, this mushrooming of new industry entrants has weighed on sentiment around the incumbent satellite industry players, most of which are less fleet of foot than these newcomers.
The cheap bulk supply of capacity, for example, has rendered legacy satellites increasingly obsolete, with the decline in satellite capacity prices having accelerated over the past year, with a global average decline of 18%, Northern Sky recently revealed.
Amid such issues, the likes of London-listed Inmarsat Plc (LON:ISAT) and France's Eutelsat Communications SA (EPA:ETL) have struggled.
Inmarsat is being taken private after a frustrating ups-and-downs in recent years, with a similar ride for Luxembourg-headquartered SES SA (EPA:SESG) and Eutelsat, though smaller UK rival Avanti Communications Group plc (LON:AVN) has seen its share price fall to earth like one of Musk's reusable rockets under the heavy load of its debts.
Others have weathered the shifting sands to rally in the past year or so, with US-based Intelsat SA (NYSE:I) and Iridium Communications Inc (NASDAQ:IRDM).


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Solar Panels Go Mainstream With Residential Leasing
The obvious reason to switch to solar power would seem to be to cut our dependence on oil, but solar power experts say that it's more likely to alleviate our dependence on coal, which is polluting our air and water at a much faster rate than oil. And oil is not our main source of electric power generation, which is really what we need to run our daily lives comfortably.
"Obviously, putting solar on your house saves coal," Seth Masia, editor of Solar Todaymagazine told HousingWatch. (The Department of Energy says that more than half the electricity in the U.S. comes from coal.)
"Coal-burning plants are still polluting our air and water," Masia says. "Coal is just as, if not more destructive, than oil. Putting the panels on our house will ultimately reduce our dependance on coal."
The thought of installing the panels, which normally would send a homeowner into a panic due to high cost, is now becoming easier through leasing programs, which are becoming more readily available. A Colorado resident, Masia currently pays $100 a month for his electric bill. A solar lease could reduce that to $70 a month, which would be a considerable savings to him. SolarCity is one of the largest companies at the moment leasing solar power.
"With $30 per month savings that's $360 per year, which is $7,200 over the 20-year life of the system or term of the lease," Masia said. "In the real world, if the cost of electricity rises 2 percent annually and your monthly payment remains fixed at $70 per month, you'll save $8,750 over the life of the lease."
Transportation is really where consumers should be looking when thinking about reducing oil consumption, and electric cars are something everyone should consider.
"Chevrolet and Nissan are introducing their electric cars this fall, and Volkswagen and Ford in 2011, so you're going to see plenty of them on the roads in the next three years," Masia said. "So if you have a solar system on your house, that provides the gas for your car."
The $9,000 investment on a solar system will more than pay for itself through the electric car, which eliminates the need to buy gasoline. And as a longterm investment, it will also contribute to paying off the system.
Another solar-powered investment to consider is a solar water heater. Solar heaters can provide all the hot water you need in the summer and about 50 percent to 60 percent in the winter. In parts of the country where the sun is not as prevalent, a backup gas water heater might be needed for an early morning shower. For everything else, like running the dishwasher or washer/dryer for laundry, running them in the evening eliminates needing to use any backup.
Solar can handle it all.
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