Prep for Winter with These Tips for Maximizing Heating Efficiency

This winter, don't just turn up the dial and hope for heat. Prep your home to make sure you're getting the most out of your heating system. The experts at Stack Exchange DIY tell you how with these ten tips.

Question:

What are some DIY ways to increase the efficiency of a forced air heating system?

? Originally asked by Tester101

1: Hand-held Thermal Sensor

Look for cold spots in your home. A room that tends to stay cold, despite your attempts to keep it warm is a signal of trouble. A nice tool for all such problems is the hand-held thermal sensor you can now buy, like this Black and Decker Thermal leak detector. Just aim it at a spot on a wall, ceiling, etc., and click the button. It gives you the temperature. Now move the sensing spot around, and look for cold spots. This can tell you if you have missing insulation in a wall cavity, or a spot of cold air entry into your home. Use this to decide to add weather stripping to a window or door for example, or to inject foam insulation into a deficient wall cavity, or simply to help you balance warm air flow through your heating system.

? Answered by woodchips

2: Programmable Thermostat

Get a programmable thermostat if you don't already have one.

They are cheap, easy to install, and setting it up to turn down the heat a few degrees when you aren't home can make them easily pay for themselves in just a few months.

? Answered by Eric Petroelje

3: Replace Your Filter

The #1 easiest way?remember to change your filter.

? Answered by Eric Petroelje

4: Call A Pro

Neither DIY nor guaranteed to increase efficiency, but worth repeating:

Get your furnace cleaned and inspected by a professional.
They can tune your system and make sure you are burning at peak efficiency.

? Answered by yhw42

5: Dampers

Install dampers to direct air flow to the rooms that need it most. This will help if you find yourself raising the thermostat to heat a bedroom, addition, basement, etc.

? Answered by Steve Jackson

6: Clear Cold Air Returns

Keep your cold air returns unblocked, no rugs or furniture on top of them.

? Answered by SqlACID

7: Energy Audit

If you are willing to spend a little money, get an energy audit. It will tell you where you home's biggest losses are, and point out many other places that could use a little work.

? Answered by Justin Love

8: Seal Electrical Boxes

Seal electrical boxes (usually light fixtures) in the attic, and use spray-foam on electrical conduit entrance holes.

? Answered by Justin Love

9: Next time you repaint...

Pull off the baseboards on outer walls and use spray foam to seal the wall-floor gap.

? Answered by Justin Love

10: Seal Your Ducts

Ensure all your ducts are properly sealed - you can use aluminum foil tape to wrap the joints and transitions. Don't use regular "duct tape", it will get brittle and become worthless pretty quickly.

Insulate all exposed supply ducting?there are many DIY products for insulating your ductwork.

? Answered by kkeilman

---

Think you know the secret to keeping your home heating running efficiently? Disagree with the asnwers provided above? Bring your expertise to the question at Stack Exchange?a network of Q&A sites on diverse topics from software programming to Apple & Android to bicycles... and plenty in between.

Illustration by Sean Gallagher.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/n8PhDd1s_Sc/prep-for-winter-with-these-tips-for-maximizing-heating-efficiency

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Obama takes ?fiscal cliff? plan on the road: Weekend in politics

President Barack Obama takes his plan for avoiding the "fiscal cliff" on the road Friday with a tour and remarks at The Rodon Group Manufacturing Facility in Hatfield, Pa.

The White House is looking to drum up public support with the campaign-style event for a plan that includes $1.6 trillion in new tax revenues plus some $400 billion in savings in entitlement programs. It also folds in relief for Americans hit by the home foreclosure crisis and an extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment assistance. There's also a $50 billion jobs plan that's mostly infrastructure spending.

The White House definitely will be looking for a better reception Friday than the plan got Thursday when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner presented it to Republican House Speaker John Boehner. Congressional Republicans rejected it as nothing more than the same plan Obama has been pushing since last year, including tax increases on the richest Americans, Yahoo News White House Correspondent Olivier Knox reports.

"I remain hopeful that productive conversations can be had in the days ahead, but the White House has to get serious," Boehner said. "This is not a game. Jobs are on the line. The American economy is on the line. And this is a moment for adult leadership."

[Want to get a daily update of what's happening in politics delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for our Daily Ticket newsletter]

The fiscal cliff is an automatic one-two punch of higher taxes scheduled to kick in Jan. 1 and deep spending cuts set to start the following day. Many economists say the economic recovery will be in jeopardy if a deal is not reached.

The fiscal cliff is certain to be the primary topic on the Sunday talk shows. One question likely to be addressed: Was the spirit of compromise that seemed present in Washington right after the election never genuine, and, even if it was, has it already disappeared?

Also worth noting this weekend: Saturday is World AIDS Day, and a Presidential Proclamation urges governors, U.S. territorial officials, and the American people to join in appropriate activities to remember men, women, and children who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and comfort to those living with the disease.

And then there is this: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are expected to attend the Kennedy Center Honors Gala on Sunday. This year's honorees are blues musician Buddy Guy, actor and director Dustin Hoffman, comedian and TV host David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Makarova, and rock band Led Zeppelin, with individual members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant each receiving the award.

And this: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid turns 73 on Sunday.

Sources: Yahoo! News White House Correspondent Olivier Knox, Associated Press

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/weekend-politics-obama-takes-fiscal-cliff-plan-road-115143166--election.html

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WikiLeaks suspect Manning mistreated by military, psychiatrist says

WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning should not have been held in such harsh conditions, his psychiatrist says. Photograph: AP

The psychiatrist who treated the WikiLeaks suspect, Bradley Manning, while he was in custody in the brig at Quantico has testified that his medical advice was regularly ignored by marine commanders who continued to impose harsh conditions on the soldier even though he posed no risk of suicide.

Captain William Hoctor told Manning's pre-trial hearing at Fort Meade that he grew frustrated and angry at the persistent refusal by marine officers to take on board his medical recommendations. The forensic psychiatrist said that he had never experienced such an unreceptive response from his military colleagues, not even when he treated terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo.

"I had been a senior medical officer for 24 years at the time, and I had never experienced anything like this. It was clear to me they had made up their mind on a certain cause of action, and my recommendations had no impact," Hoctor said.

The psychiatrist was testifying at Manning's court martial for allegedly being the source of the massive leak of hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. The 24-year-old soldier, who worked as an intelligence analyst until his arrest in Iraq in May 2010, faces 22 counts and possible life in military custody.

Manning's defence lawyers are attempting to have the charges thrown out or any eventual sentence reduced by seeking to prove that the soldier was subjected to unlawful pre-trial punishment at Quantico. During the nine months he was in custody at the marine base in Virginia he was put on suicide watch and a "prevention of injury" order, or PoI, that kept him in solitary confinement and exposed him to extreme conditions that were denounced by the UN and Amnesty International as a form of torture.

Hoctor began treating Manning from the day after he arrived at Quantico on 29 July 2010, seeing him initially every day and then later once a week. At first he recommended that the soldier be put on suicide watch - the most stringent form of custody - given that he had mentioned killing himself while previously held in Kuwait and that nooses that he had made were found in his cell.

But within a week of seeing Manning he changed his recommendation, reporting to officers that in his medical opinion the soldier could be put on the lesser PoI status. His advice was ignored for a couple of weeks, Hoctor told the court. "At Quantico they often did not immediately follow, or sometimes did not follow at all, my recommendations."

The failure to act on the doctor's recommendation was an apparent violation of the instructions under which marine installations operate. The regulations state that "when prisoners are no longer considered to be suicide risks by a medical officer, they shall be returned to appropriate quarters."

By 27 August 2010, Hoctor testified, he had spent enough time with Manning to recommend a further easing of conditions. From then on he advised in a regular weekly report that Manning should be taken off PoI altogether and returned to the general brig population.

"I was satisfied he no longer presented a risk. He did not appear to be persistently depressed, he was not reporting suicidal thoughts, in general he was well behaved."

Specifically, Hoctor was convinced that Manning no longer needed to be subjected to restrictive conditions that included: no contact with other people, being kept in his cell for more than 23 hours a day, being checked every five minutes, sleeping on a suicide mattress with no bedding, having his prescription glasses taken away, lights kept on at night, having toilet paper removed.

Only on two occasions did Hoctor report that Manning appeared upset and should be put temporarily under close observation. The first incident occurred in December 2010 when Fox News erroneously reported that Manning had died, and the second in January 2011 when the soldier broke down in tears while in the exercise room.

Yet the psychiatrist's recommendation that other than these isolated incidents Manning should be treated like other inmates was consistently ignored. The soldier was kept on PoI throughout the rest of his time at Quantico.

The blanket denial of his expert opinion was unprecedented in his quarter century of practice, the psychiatrist said. "Even when I did tours in Guantanamo and cared for detainees there my recommendations on suicidal behaviour were followed."

Hoctor said he openly protested about the thwarting of his expert opinion at a meeting with the commander responsible for the brig, Colonel Robert Oltman, on 13 January 2011. At the meeting Oltman informed the doctor that Manning would be kept on PoI "for the forseeable future".

Hoctor said that the marine commanders should no longer pretend they were acting out of medical concern for the detainee. "It wasn't good for Manning. I really didn't like them using a psychiatric standard when I thought it clinically inappropriate," Hoctor said.

The court heard that Oltman replied: "You make your recommendations, and we'll do what we want to do."

Earlier the court martial heard from Oltman himself, who told the judge presiding over the proceedings, Colonel Denise Lind, that he had chosen to overlook Hoctor's advice because he didn't fully trust the doctor. A few months before Manning arrived at Quantico, an inmate of the brig, Captain Michael Webb, had killed himself while under Hoctor's care.

"I did not have the utmost confidence in Captain Hoctor," Oltman testified.

When that lack of trust was put to Hoctor by Manning's defence lawyer, David Coombs, the psychiatrist replied: "If they felt that way they should have got another person to do the job."

Despite the unprecedented conditions that Manning was held under, Hoctor said the detainee coped quite well. "Most people would have found it very difficult, being watched every five minutes, but he did better than expected ? I think he decided he was going to be strong."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/29/wikileaks-bradley-manning-treatment

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Burgess announces he's running for Seattle mayor

by KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on November 27, 2012 at 5:32 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:45 PM

Seattle Councilman Tim Burgess on Tuesday announced that he is running for mayor.

Burgess is the first candidate to say he will challenge Mayor Mike McGinn, who won the job in 2009 after a three-way primary against Joe Mallahan and Greg Nickels (the two-term incumbent).

In declaring his candidacy, Burgess said, "All across Seattle, people have said they want bolder thinking, more inclusive and more effective leadership from City Hall to bring people together and get things done."

The race is expected to be crowded, with at least two other city councilmembers considering their own bids.

Burgess was elected to the city council in 2007. He grew up in Seattle and is graduate of the University of Washington. He lives in Queen Anne with his Joleen; the couple has three adult daughters.

Burgess's campaign website went live on Tuesday: burgessformayor.com

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/politics/Burgess-announces-hes-running-for-Seattle-mayor-181085801.html

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2012 Books: Slate Staff Picks

Illustration by Lilli Carr?.

Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love, by John and Sherry Petersik
I have trotted off to bed every night for the past two weeks with Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love under my arm. It is so much more than just a pretty do-it-yourself resource book. It?s filled with charming personal narrative (I feel like I know John and Sherry Petersik?hooray for new fun friends!), easy-to-understand instructions for every level of project, and clever ways to improve your home and your life. In this age of tightened belt straps where it?s not always possible to buy new, John and Sherry make you feel good about using what you?ve got in a way you never knew you could.
?Holly Allen, designer

How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
As an education writer, Paul Tough goes deeper than anyone I know. Some of the ideas he has brought to light?that preschool is a great government investment given the payoff later in life, that building character matters as much for success as academics?are so deeply ingrained in my own thinking that it?s hard to remember I had to learn them somewhere. Reading Tough?s new book, How Children Succeed, reminded me just why he?s so good. The book is a synthesis of all the latest research on learning, told in well-packaged chapters like ?How to Think? and ?How to Fail (and How Not To).? I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.
?Emily Bazelon, senior editor

The Man Without a Face, by Masha Gessen
This portrait of the inscrutable Vladimir Putin, is fascinating, illuminating, and above all brave?as you read about the price countless Russians have paid for crossing Putin, you can?t help but marvel at the courage it takes to tell his story so critically. Gessen (an occasional Slate contributor) chronicles Putin?s journey from KGB agent to St. Petersburg political operative to Boris Yeltsin?s surprise choice as acting president, and on to 13 years (and counting) as Russia?s undisputed top dog, regardless of the title he holds at any given moment. What emerges is a man whose greatest political strength is his willingness to be seen primarily not as a statesman, but as a world class thug.
?Andy Bowers, executive producer, Slate podcasts

The Half-Blood Blues, by Esi Edugyan
A different vantage point of Nazi Europe in the 1940s?seen through the eyes of a group of African-American jazz musicians who find their rhythm just as the world is trying to snuff out their musical genius. Not only did the narrator, Sid, capture me with his internal struggles and unique voice, but it made me think about how the war impacted music and all races in ways that I don't always associate with the Third Reich. I felt pulled into the story by their passion for music despite the threats they faced daily. But what ultimately makes this story so memorable is Sid dealing with his demons long after his musical heyday has passed.
?Tracey Coronado, director of human resources

Lionel Asbo: State of England, by Martin Amis
Martin Amis' latest chuckle-fest Lionel Asbo: State of England is a fabulous and much-needed antidote to the twee Downton Abbey view of England. Here is the unvarnished truth about us Brits: We are lower and trashier than any Kardashian or Jersey Shore habitu?.
?Simon Doonan, columnist

Zona, by Geoff Dyer
I'll endorse Geoff Dyer?s rambling, peculiar memoir of watching the 1979 Soviet art film Stalker, and then rewatching it again and again. The memoir?s subtitle is ?A book about a film about a journey to a room,? but it might have been ?A boring book about a dreary film about a seemingly-endless journey to a nondescript room.? I say that in praise: Both book and film scale the heights of monotony at a thrilling, breakneck pace, and once they?ve reached the summit wallow in a weirdly gripping self-indulgence. What makes these feats of tedium so fabulous? Dyer tries to figure it out.
?Daniel Engber, columnist

The Way the World Works, by Nicholson Baker
Nicholson Baker writing on Wikipedia is like John Updike on Ted Williams or James Baldwin on going to church in Harlem: such a perfect match of writer and subject, mind and matter, that the no-doubt hard-won wonderfulness of the resulting essay seems predestined, inevitable. ?The Pop-Tarts page is often aflutter,? Baker writes, about the Wikipedia page for Pop-Tarts. ?Once last fall the whole page was replaced with ?NIPPLES AND BROCCOLI!!!!!!??The Way the World Works, the somewhat grandly titled essay collection in which ?The Charms of Wikipedia? appears, is itself aflutter with sentences as good and better than that one, a large number of them about life?s little details. The book makes you think that perhaps attending to little things, and writing fine, fun sentences about those little things, might help one think about the big things, and how they have been broken.
?David Haglund, Brow Beat editor

On a Farther Shore, by William Souder
You may think you really ought to know more about the origins of the environmental movement and the life of its patron saint. Sure, of course you ought to. You like clean air and water and birds, right? But On a Farther Shore, William Souder?s biography of Rachel Carson, is not a chore or a lesson. It?s a delightful, fascinating, engrossing read about some of the most important insights of modern science. You?ll find yourself thinking about Carson whenever you take a walk in the woods or get trapped in an argument about how environmentalists are killing kids in Africa.
?Laura Helmuth, science and health editor

Enemies: A History of the FBI, by Tim Weiner
This is an astonishing book, jammed with revelations (at least one per page), gleaned from tens of thousands of pages of newly declassified files. The focus is on the FBI as a secret foreign-intelligence service (which apparently it was designed to be from the outset) and J. Edgar Hoover as an ?American Machiavelli.? Weiner tells the epic tale with captivating elegance. It?s even better, I think, than Legacy of Ashes, his previous, award-winning book about the CIA.
?Fred Kaplan, ?War Stories? columnist

The Defining Decade, byMeg Jay
In?The Defining Decade, clinical psychologist Meg Jay explains how to optimize the crucial years of your 20s, citing?stories from her practice.?Any recent college grad mired in a quarter-life crisis or merely dazed by the freedom of post-collegiate existence should consider it required reading.
?Chris Kirk, interactives editor

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=864d8b109319af2a1b0d27f60e685276

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NH couple arrested at Fla. parade after boy burned

This Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jessica Linscott, of Plaistow, N.H., in custody after being apprehended Wednesday evening at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., where she and her boyfriend Roland Dow had been watching a parade. Linscott, 23, and Dow, 27, who authorities said spent two weeks on the run, were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Service)

This Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jessica Linscott, of Plaistow, N.H., in custody after being apprehended Wednesday evening at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., where she and her boyfriend Roland Dow had been watching a parade. Linscott, 23, and Dow, 27, who authorities said spent two weeks on the run, were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Service)

This Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Roland Dow, of Plaistow, N.H., in custody after being apprehended Wednesday evening at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., where he and his girlfriend Jessica Linscott had been watching a parade. Dow, 27, and Linscott, 23, who authorities said spent two weeks on the run, were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Service)

A New Hampshire couple suspected of abusing the woman's 3-year-old son have been arrested while leaving a parade at a theme park in Orlando, Fla., after two weeks on the run, authorities say.

Jessica Linscott and her boyfriend, Roland Dow, were taken into custody on Wednesday evening at Universal Studios, where they had been watching the parade, U.S. marshals said.

Linscott, 23, and Dow, 27, were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries.

Police had received a call two weeks ago from Exeter Hospital, in Exeter, N.H., where the boy was being treated. The boy later was taken to Children's Hospital at Dartmouth in Lebanon, N.H., where he was recovering after surgery.

Tips helped to track down the couple, Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams said.

"We were feeling pretty confident 24 hours ago that we were going to have them soon," Reams said Wednesday.

Law enforcement officials spent "countless hours" trying to find Linscott and Dow, who are from Plaistow, N.H., a town of about 8,000 residents in Rockingham County, marshals said.

Marshals looked for the couple all day Wednesday and at the end of the day found them while a crowd was breaking up after the parade and they were headed back to the theme park's attractions area, said David Charles, deputy criminal investigator for the U.S. Marshals Service in Orlando.

"They were totally surprised," he said. "They had no clue."

U.S. Marshal David L. Cargill Jr., who thanked the public for providing tips during the search for the couple, said he found it "very sad" that they were found in an area "designed to bring joy and happiness to children."

Linscott is accused of failing to get medical attention for her son when he was suffering seizures from a head injury and of failing to protect him from harm. She's charged with multiple counts of child endangerment.

Dow is charged with assault.

Linscott and Dow were jailed on Wednesday and couldn't be reached for comment by telephone. They were scheduled to be arraigned in Florida on Thursday on fugitive from justice charges.

___

Rathe reported from Montepelier, Vt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-28-Boy%20Burned-Arrest/id-17350661461e46a593d0f63e489a59e8

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Blood dripping from SUV leads to poaching arrests

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) ? Blood dripping from the back of an SUV led to the arrest of two Sacramento men accused of illegally shooting a deer, then stabbing it to death in their vehicle when it suddenly came to and began to struggle.

The Tahoe Daily Tribune (http://bit.ly/Uqv35O ) reports 46-year-old Scott Lee and 32-year-old Nai Saechao were arrested Nov. 18 on poaching, animal cruelty and other charges.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office says the California Highway Patrol received multiple calls from people reporting blood seeping out of a Toyota SUV near Shingle Springs, a small community in the Sierra foothills 40 miles east of Sacramento.

When authorities pulled over the vehicle, they found the deer carcass in the back. Officers say both men and the interior of the SUV were smeared with blood.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blood-dripping-suv-leads-poaching-arrests-234351017.html

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H O T 4 H A I R Y Tumblr | Twitter | Email | Archive |...

H A I R ...H A I R...
E V E R Y W H E R E....
Welcome to my Tumblr blog. We all have our own things we find sexy in men. Mine is hairy men. I love hairy slimmer men, but not twinks, with a little muscle , but not too much. I love a hairy man with a hairy chest that looks nice and soft as well as a hairy untrimmed dick. I like a furry bum too.

NONE OF THE PICTURES ARE MINE. They are just pictures that I've found online and stamped with my seal of approval. This seal of approval will and should mean nothing to most of you, but for those of you that share my view for what I find is hot, then you've got a decent collection of eye candy to look at, browse through and maybe jack off too. I take NO credit for any of these photos and if you are looking for re-blog history, please look at the trail (notes) in each photo. Remember it's just a bunch of porn we're all just spanking it too...don't take it too seriously...no one else is 30 seconds after they've FINISHED their viewing "business".

NSFW. 18/21+. If you own any of the images I post and would like them removed, please contact me.

H O T 4 H A I R Y
Tumblr | Twitter | Email
HAIR HAIR EVERYWHERE! EMAIL: hot4hairy2011@gmail.com TUMBLR: http://hot4hairy.tumblr.com TWITTER: http://twitter.com/hot4hairy

Source: http://hot4hairy.tumblr.com/post/36708340916

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Former Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash Faces Third Sex Lawsuit

Former Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash Faces Third Sex Lawsuit

Former Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash is faced with a third victim in a lawsuit today, that claims the puppeteer used alcohol to “groom” him. The unidentified accuser also met Clash on a gay chat line, stating that he called himself “Mr. Tickler” as they engaged in sexual acts. This makes the third man to file ...

Former Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash Faces Third Sex Lawsuit Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/11/former-elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-faces-third-sex-lawsuit/

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Personalities influence workforce planning

Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Clea Desjardins
clea.desjardins@concordia.ca
514-848-2424 x5068
Concordia University

Concordia researcher creates cost-savings model that accounts for workers' training, skills, work capacity and motivation

Montreal, November 26, 2012 What if factory foremen treated their workers less like the machines they operate, and more like people, with personality strengths and differences? Surely the workers would benefit, but might the employers also see positive results in the workplace, as well as being able to cut costs?

That's what Concordia researcher Mohammed Othman set out to prove in his paper "Integrating workers' differences into workforce planning," recently published in the journal Computers & Industrial Engineering.

Currently, explained Othman, two types of researchers study production workforces: industrial engineers like him, who try to organize machines and people to maximize efficiency; and industrial psychologists, who design personality tests. Beyond personality type, such tests can determine a worker's motivation level and triggers, work capacity, and even his or her ability to learn. But the test results are generally only used in a pass/fail capacity, to determine whether or not to hire an individual, says Othman. "There are many things you could use this rich data for training, motivating workers, determining salaries but they don't use it."

Othman's model takes this psychological data and, crossing disciplines, employs it to better engineer workforce planning hiring, firing, scheduling and training. "Workforce planning is usually done in the manager's mind what he or she knows about the workers and their abilities," says Othman, adding that the manager seldom notes down these estimated measures.

In fact, fearing charges of unfair discrimination leading to union grievances, many managers and foremen expressly avoid taking personality into account when assigning tasks, because they "don't want to make it a personal thing." But, Othman insists, such grading systems do not aim to harm or downgrade workers. "You're trying to help them, by putting them in an appropriate position. At the same time, you're trying to train them and improve their skills at their level."

In his paper, Othman ran a complex mathematical model to determine the cost of running a manufacturing shop floor over an eight-week production period. He first ran a control in which workers deemed hirable were slotted into positions without regard for their training, skills, capacity for work, personality or motivation. Then, using his mathematical model, Othman took these factors into account before the production period began, placing workers in more appropriate positions with a view to minimizing hiring, firing, training and overtime costs.

The result? Othman's model created a cost savings of 7.1 per cent, a significant figure that could keep more jobs in Canada, in this competitive, globalized economy.

Beyond manufacturing, Othman says his model could also be applied to the service industry. What's more, "there is also an opportunity for another researcher to incorporate cognitive ability," he adds, "clearly an important factor in human differences." And, clearly, the factor that most differentiates us from machines.

###

Related links:

Source: Cla Desjardins
Senior advisor, media relations
University Communications Services
Concordia University
Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 5068
Email: clea.desjardins@concordia.ca
Web: concordia.ca/now/media-relations
Twitter: @CleaDesjardins

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Clea Desjardins
clea.desjardins@concordia.ca
514-848-2424 x5068
Concordia University

Concordia researcher creates cost-savings model that accounts for workers' training, skills, work capacity and motivation

Montreal, November 26, 2012 What if factory foremen treated their workers less like the machines they operate, and more like people, with personality strengths and differences? Surely the workers would benefit, but might the employers also see positive results in the workplace, as well as being able to cut costs?

That's what Concordia researcher Mohammed Othman set out to prove in his paper "Integrating workers' differences into workforce planning," recently published in the journal Computers & Industrial Engineering.

Currently, explained Othman, two types of researchers study production workforces: industrial engineers like him, who try to organize machines and people to maximize efficiency; and industrial psychologists, who design personality tests. Beyond personality type, such tests can determine a worker's motivation level and triggers, work capacity, and even his or her ability to learn. But the test results are generally only used in a pass/fail capacity, to determine whether or not to hire an individual, says Othman. "There are many things you could use this rich data for training, motivating workers, determining salaries but they don't use it."

Othman's model takes this psychological data and, crossing disciplines, employs it to better engineer workforce planning hiring, firing, scheduling and training. "Workforce planning is usually done in the manager's mind what he or she knows about the workers and their abilities," says Othman, adding that the manager seldom notes down these estimated measures.

In fact, fearing charges of unfair discrimination leading to union grievances, many managers and foremen expressly avoid taking personality into account when assigning tasks, because they "don't want to make it a personal thing." But, Othman insists, such grading systems do not aim to harm or downgrade workers. "You're trying to help them, by putting them in an appropriate position. At the same time, you're trying to train them and improve their skills at their level."

In his paper, Othman ran a complex mathematical model to determine the cost of running a manufacturing shop floor over an eight-week production period. He first ran a control in which workers deemed hirable were slotted into positions without regard for their training, skills, capacity for work, personality or motivation. Then, using his mathematical model, Othman took these factors into account before the production period began, placing workers in more appropriate positions with a view to minimizing hiring, firing, training and overtime costs.

The result? Othman's model created a cost savings of 7.1 per cent, a significant figure that could keep more jobs in Canada, in this competitive, globalized economy.

Beyond manufacturing, Othman says his model could also be applied to the service industry. What's more, "there is also an opportunity for another researcher to incorporate cognitive ability," he adds, "clearly an important factor in human differences." And, clearly, the factor that most differentiates us from machines.

###

Related links:

Source: Cla Desjardins
Senior advisor, media relations
University Communications Services
Concordia University
Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 5068
Email: clea.desjardins@concordia.ca
Web: concordia.ca/now/media-relations
Twitter: @CleaDesjardins

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/cu-piw112612.php

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Let Professional Web Design Ireland Serv... - Work On the Internet

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Miscellaneous

Written by Anonymous ??

Tuesday, 27 November 2012 04:12

With internet marketing becoming one of the most effective ways to reach the target customers of every business, the demand for web design Ireland services have considerably grown. Several companies are taking their business online; therefore, it is vital to have a good website in order to attract iewers. Numerous designing firms have professional designers that offer their expertise to the services to their clients. These designers keep in mind the type of business of the client and design the web pages accordingly. They have a bright knowledge about the combination of colors, font styles, overall appearance of the website etc. With so many websites on the internet, one has to make sure that their website has an attractive appearance that would draw the attention of the viewer. Many people surf the internet in their leisure time and come across an appealing website, and eventually decide to take a sneak peek of the services or products offered. That is why the website has to be well designed with interesting content as well. Several service providers available in the market offer flash website design services at an affordable rate. Having a flash website ensures the website to offer something creative to its viewer that can make a lot of difference. One should always remember that that a website is the face of the company and we all know that first impression is the last impression. It is important to hire a professional service provider in order to have a website that can turn a casual passerby into a prospective customer. The services providers that are widely available in the market provide the service of company logo design by one of the best designers. An expert should always be hired to make the logo of a company, as they are capable of designing the right kind of logo that would give out the right message to the people. With the growing rate of competitiveness in the business arena, more and more organizations constantly are looking for new ways to market their products and services. Internet has emerged as one of the latest ways to do that, in an effective way. The social media too has contributed in an enormous manner to make brands increase their visibility. Ireland has been one of the best places, where there are many reputed companies available. Several web design Ireland firms have their own website, through which a prospective customer can gather all the details of the services offered by the firm. The author is an experienced Content writer and publisher for Business Development. Visit at http://www.themarketingpod.ie/ to know more about Web Design Ireland, Flash Website Design and Company Logo Design. Article Tags :

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 November 2012 04:12

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Column: Johnny Football should be Johnny Heisman

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel reacts after a touchdown run by teammate Ben Malena during the first quarter an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel reacts after a touchdown run by teammate Ben Malena during the first quarter an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel warms up before an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) runs from Missouri's Michael Sam (52) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, front, runs through Missouri's Zaviar Gooden (25) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) sings the Aggie War Hymn with Ryan Swope (25) and Conner McQueen (14) after an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in College Station, Texas. A&M defeated Missouri 59-29. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Johnny Football finally got a chance to speak Monday.

This was it, our first opportunity to hear from the quarterback himself why he feels he should win the Heisman Trophy.

Turns out, he's not much of a lobbyist.

Off the charts when he's got that ol' pigskin in his hands, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel sounds like just another boring QB when asked about his chances of becoming the first freshman to claim college football's highest individual honor.

He says it would be "a dream come true." (Boooring!) He says "whatever is meant to happen will happen." (Give this man an award for clich?s.) He deflects credit to his teammates and coaches, pointing out time and time again that none of his success would be possible without those around him. (Wake us when he's done.)

That's OK. Nothing more really needs to be said.

Johnny Football, meet Johnny Heisman.

With a nod to Notre Dame defensive star Manti Te'o, a dominating linebacker with a bittersweet back story, Manziel's numbers are simply too outlandish to be denied.

? He's rushed for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns.

? He's thrown for 3,419 yards and another two dozen TDs.

? He's already surpassed Cam Newton's totals from two years ago by 273 yards (in two fewer games), and the former Auburn quarterback won the award in a landslide.

Manziel deserves a similar rout.

"The way Johnny has performed this season, the numbers speak for themselves," said Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who had barred Manziel from talking to reporters until Monday. "He's a tremendous competitor, a tremendous leader. That's something you really don't see in a player as a redshirt freshman. But all his leadership ? on and off the field, all throughout the season ? made our season a real special one."

Sumlin's policy of denying media privileges to all his freshmen, even those like Manziel who are in their second year of school, has only added to the mystique.

Here was a guy with the cool nickname and enough highlights to fill his own YouTube channel, but we didn't really know anything else about him other than what was in the biography. The small-town Texas kid who initially committed to Oregon but really wanted to play in the Lone Star State, who signed with the Aggies when Mike Sherman was the coach but didn't get a chance to play until Sumlin took over the job.

Otherwise, our impressions were formed by what he did with the helmet on.

How he ran circles around opposing defenses, how he threw touchdown passes off the wrong foot, how he chased down and tackled two Louisiana Tech players after a turnover, how he led the Aggies to a surprising 10-win season in their Southeastern Conference debut, including an upset of mighty Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Now, after an hour-long conference call with media from all over the country, we know a little more.

Manziel is cool with the nickname. He enjoys playing video games, including the college football version, though apparently not so much as himself. He's still getting used to all the attention he receives when he does something as simple as going out to dinner.

"I don't see myself as Johnny Football. I see myself as Johnathan Manziel," he says. "When people want to take my picture or ask for an autograph, I'm shocked by it. I'm not used to the whole thing, even though it's kind of becoming a daily thing."

He tries to avoid watching highlights of himself, like the ones posted in countless tribute videos, or the more humorous attempts to pay homage to his growing legend. No, he hasn't seen the video by the woman old enough to be his mother, who croons to the camera with her own version of early-1960s hit "Johnny Angel" while surrounded by Aggies gear.

"Johnny Football, how we love him," she warbles. "He's got something Aggies can't resist. And he doesn't even know impossible exists."

In other seasons, when the race wasn't so clear-cut, Te'o might've been positioned to join Charles Woodson as only the second defensive player to capture the Heisman.

The Notre Dame senior certainly has the stats to back up his candidacy (103 tackles and seven interceptions), but there's so much more to his resume.

He's the undisputed leader on the nation's top-ranked team, a major reason the Fighting Irish went unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 1988 and landed a spot in the national championship game against either Alabama or Georgia. It's hard not to shed a tear every time he makes a big play, either, remembering how he's still dealing with the grief of losing both his grandmother (who died after a long illness) and his girlfriend (who succumbed to leukemia) just a few hours apart on an awful day back in September.

A special season, to be sure.

But Manziel's debut season goes beyond that. It's transformational, like the first time you saw Herschel Walker flatten a defensive back, or Michael Vick cutting this way and that on one play, then unleashing a 70-yard pass on the next.

It's beyond Heisman-worthy.

"This is something you dream about as a kid," Manziel said. "When you're playing those NCAA (video) games as a kid, you create players who can win the Heisman by putting up some crazy numbers."

When he used to dream up his perfect player for that make-believe world, it looked more like Newton.

You know, 6-foot-6, about 250 pounds, stronger and faster than anyone else on the field.

In real life, Manziel didn't turn out that way. He's just a smidgen over 6-foot. He tips the scales at around 200 pounds. Solid, but not imposing.

"I did get tackled a couple of times and heard people say, 'You're really small' or 'You're not as big as we thought,'" Manziel conceded.

Turns out, he was better than the guy on the video game.

The one with the Heisman.

___

Paul Newberry in a national writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-26-T25-Paul%20Newberry-112612/id-f85fb4d843a6494aa7b2875bde4d2825

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"Fiscal cliff" talks stalled for now, but progress possible

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the last 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled for January 1, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday.

However, lawmakers in both the Democratic and Republican parties have been working hard to convince the public - and financial markets - that they are willing to compromise and can reach a deal before the end of the year.

The United States is on course to slash its budget deficit nearly in half next year. Closing the gap that quickly, which in Washington is referred to as going over a "fiscal cliff," could easily trigger a recession.

"Unfortunately, for the last 10 days, with the House and Congress gone for the Thanksgiving recess ... much progress hasn't been made," Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, told ABC's "This Week" program.

A deadline is looming. Absent action by lawmakers and President Barack Obama, roughly $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts will start to hit households and companies in early January.

Republicans and Obama's Democrats are at an impasse over the president's wish to raise income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans, which Republicans say would hurt job creation.

Republicans also want to cut spending on social programs more than Democrats say they will accept.

Still, a growing group of Republican lawmakers are loosening their ties to Grover Norquist, the anti-tax lobbyist famous for getting elected officials to sign a pledge that they will vote against any tax increases.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Republicans will allow tax revenues to rise as long as social spending programs are reformed. "I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform," he told "This Week."

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss said last week he "cared more about the country" than a 20-year-old pledge, and on Sunday Republican Representative Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told NBC's "Meet the Press" he agreed "completely" with Chambliss.

Durbin said Democrats are willing to allow small changes to parts of the country's entitlement programs, including public health insurance programs for the elderly and poor, but the Social Security government pension program should not be on the table.

"Bring entitlement reform into the conversation. Social Security, set (it) aside," Durbin said.

Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, said the ability to avoid the "fiscal cliff," depended on the Republicans.

"The key here is whether or not the Republicans will move away from the ideologically rigid position, which has been the Grover Norquist pledge, which most of them signed," he said on "Meet the Press."

(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fiscal-cliff-talks-stalled-now-progress-possible-174437679--business.html

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http://www.giantsteamfanshop.com Learn How To Peyton Manning Official Jersey Operate An Affiliate Marketer Marketing and advertising System

Surprisingly, probably the most committed people in affiliate marketing are one of the Charles Woodson Nike Jersey minimum productive. That?s since their ambition is overriding their common sense, and they also technique the industry with an excessive amount of excitement and too little understanding. Don?t go this path. Learn how to use the suggestions in this article to be successful.

A fantastic affiliate marketing suggestion is usually to join an affiliate marketer marketing and advertising software that may be two-tier. Two-tier affiliate products are wonderful simply because they allow you to create a tiny percentage from the man or woman you recommend. Anytime the individual you refer constitutes a transaction, additionally you get a tiny percentage.

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In affiliate internet marketing, persistence is very important. Don?t be disheartened should your internet site isn?t generating your company money nevertheless, affiliate marketing online revenue expands with time. 1 while customer will help improve your profits, as well as refer other individuals for your web site. Always keep creating articles and stay individual until your job will begin to pay off.

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If you?re offering computer software by your internet affiliate campaigns, don?t just consist of display catches in your critiques ? take a video of on your own utilizing the online video! This is fantastic for how-tos, so display me how you?re utilizing the funds to give help to your life, particularly if it may preserve or make me dollars.

Individuals researching ways to make money in a rush Devin Hester Nike Jersey need to stay away from being an online affiliate internet marketer. You can find just no fast income inside a program similar to this. You need to be competitive in your market market place and then drive traffic towards a person else?s item in expectations that they develop into a paying buyer. There?s nothing speedy about that.

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Source: http://www.ruanime.ca/activity/p/16857/

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At least 120 killed in Bangladesh factory fire

Hasan Raza / AP

Bangladeshi firefighters battle a fire at a garment factory in the Savar neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late Saturday.

By NBC News wire services

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- At least 120 people were killed as a fire swept through a garment factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital, the chief of the fire brigade said Sunday.

The fire at the nine-story factory in the Ashulia industrial belt started on the ground floor late Saturday and quickly spread, trapping hundreds of workers.

"This morning we have recovered 120 dead bodies and the death toll could rise," Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah, director general of the fire brigade, told reporters.

---

Fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub told The Associated Press that?the nine-story factory was operated by Tazreen Fashions.

Witnesses said the workers, mostly women, ran for safety as the fire engulfed the plant, but were unable to come out through narrow exits.

"Many jumped out from the windows and were injured, or died on the spot," said Milon, a resident.?"We are appalled to see the charred bodies coming out of the factory since last night. It was an endless stream."

Mahbub said army soldiers and border guards had been deployed to help police keep the situation under control as thousands of anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered at the scene.?

Bangladesh has around 4,500 garment factories that make clothes for such ?brands as Tesco, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Kohl's and Carrefour.

Bangladesh is the world's biggest exporter of clothing after China, with garments making up 80 percent of its $24 billion annual exports.?

But safety standards at the factories are poor and not enforced strictly, causing scores of accidents each year.?

Saturday's fire was the worst in years, and rescuers and police said the death count may surpass any previous toll.?

This article includes reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/24/15420144-fire-sweeps-clothing-factory-in-bangladesh-at-least-120-killed?lite

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Pope tells new cardinals: shun 'worldly logic of power'

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Sunday told six prelates newly elevated to the rank of cardinal that all Catholic leaders should shun the "worldly logic of power" and stick to spreading the gospel.

The pope presided at a solemn mass in St Peter's Basilica with the six men from the United States, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Lebanon and Colombia the day after they became cardinals at a ceremony known as a consistory.

"To be disciples of Jesus, then, means not letting ourselves be allured by the worldly logic of power, but bringing into the world the light of truth and God's love," he said.

"To you, dear and venerable brother cardinals - I think in particular of those created yesterday - is entrusted this demanding responsibility: to bear witness to the kingdom of God, to the truth."

The new cardinals are American Archbishop James Michael Harvey, Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, a major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara rite in India, Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon, and Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja.

Indian women at the mass wore saris and African women wore traditional dresses. Prayers were read in Arabic, Hindi, Yoruba and Tagalog as well as English, French and Italian.

"I think it's about time that we have a diverse and more colorful bunch of cardinals," said Leslie Ryan, a pilgrim who attended the consistory.

"If you want to bring all the Catholics together you need to have a diverse group of cardinals and it's about time."

The choice of the cardinals, ranging in age from 53 to 72, looked like an attempt to counter criticism that he has in the past neglected the needs of the developing world.

CARDINAL ELECTORS

All six are "cardinal electors", under 80 years old and therefore eligible to enter a conclave that will one day choose Benedict's successor.

Two of the new cardinals, Boutros Rai, 72, of Lebanon, and Onaiyekan, 68, of Nigeria, are from countries with significant Muslim populations.

In Nigeria, which is about 50 percent Muslim, the Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people in attacks since 2009. Many of the attacks have been on Christians and churches.

"The Boko Haram, the young men who are throwing bombs all over the place in Nigeria, have been rejected by the mainstream of Islam in Nigeria. But somehow, the way the Islamic religion is organized there's nobody who can tell them 'Stop it!'," Onaiyekan told Reuters in an interview.

"So the rest of us are actually, you can say, suffering because of the inner difficulties within Islam. But that's the reality we have to live with and we are doing our best. What is important for people to know is that it is not a case of Nigerian Muslims at war with Nigerian Christians."

Tagle, 55, of Manila, heads the largest Catholic church in Asia, where Christians are minorities in most countries.

"I think we have been used to a humble and hidden type of existence and it doesn't lead us to pessimism," he told Reuters.

"Being a small minority doesn't mean the church is dead," he said. "Of course, who doesn't want the numbers to increase? But there are things in life that are not measured only by numbers."

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-tells-cardinals-shun-worldly-logic-power-115258963.html

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Home Improvement Information That Will Work For You ...

As long as you are willing to seek help and information, you can complete almost any of thousands of different home improvement projects. If home improvement projects are on your ?to do? list, then this article might prove helpful.

TIP! One important thing that can greatly improve your home is improving your windows. Get new windows! Use windows that are double glazed.

Installing a source of heat beneath a tile floor is simple and economical. Look into radiant heat equipment, especially if you want to replace your flooring anyway. The sales person will be able to guide you on which type of flooring should be used as well as the options available for radiant heating. This can also improve your home?s value significantly.

Make you home look great from the curb. Keep your yard nice by mowing the lawn and doing the edging. Have some nice shrubs around your property. Tidy up the yard. If your roof or exterior walls are stained, have them power-washed. Thoroughly clean your windows. This will all add to the first impression your home makes on anyone when they see it.

TIP! One of the best ways to improve the value and overall quality of your home is to upgrade the appliances. Normally upgrading appliances can net you double what was spent to purchase the appliances.

Old toothbrushes can be used to clean your house. They can be used for cleaning kitchen and bathroom faucets as well as car engines. The best part is that they cost nothing! There?s no need to purchase a brand new bush whenever you can use a free item that is just as effective. You can spend the money you save on something else.

Think about what you can afford before making any decisions about what to improve. Generally, you need to recoup the cost of the upgrades within 24 months in order for it to make financial sense. Avoid going over your budget.

TIP! Prior to beginning any project, consider how much of a return you will get from the money you spend on it. Look for projects that will add more value to your home so you eventually get a return on the time and money you invested.

As you improve your house, be certain to put your personal touch on things while making sure not to diverge too much from your neighbors. You don?t want to stick out as the only homeowner on the cul-de-sac with a tower on top of your home. Trying to sell a house that appears odd will make it difficult to sell.

Replacing the outlet covers in any room is an inexpensive and easy upgrade. Without you even realizing it, your outlets covers grow discolored over time, giving a dingy look in some cases. Installing new ones can help make everything look fresher.

TIP! Carpeting high traffic areas, like entryways and often-used hallways, is always financially a bad decision. Just a few days of a continuous rainstorm can stain your carpet with dirt and mud, making it look older than other carpeting that doesn?t receive much foot traffic.

Adding an extra bathroom can really increase the value of your home. This is especially useful if you have rooms on a floor that does not currently have a bathroom. It seems there are never enough bathrooms for the number of people who need to use them.

Even beginning home improvers can find benefit in fixing a leaky faucet. When you can respond to issues like this promptly, you reduce water waste and the potential for damages. You?ll see the difference on your water bill.

Add some bling to a boring corner by hanging big costume jewelry pieces on a coat rack. Only put costume jewelry here, not your prized heirlooms. A jewelry display will help to avoid tangles in your collection. Choose a few of your favorites that are worn often, and keep those accessible.

TIP! When you?re doing work on your roof, three-inch aluminum tape can help you deal with any minor cracks that you find in the roofing surface. To use the tape, simply remove the paper backing from the tape and apply over the crack.

Prior to going to the home improvement store, create a list of what you are going to need. Having this list of items will allow you to visit the store just one time and will help you be organized.

Now that you?ve seen these ideas and tips, you should be more prepared to start off your own home improvement projects. Use these tips to safely and creatively undertake future home improvement projects.

Source: http://insparenting.com/2282/home-improvement-information-that-will-work-for-you/

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Supreme court to consider workplace harassment rules (reuters)

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Where did 180 Russian websites go?

Scores of websites have been blocked under Russia's restrictive new Internet law that's been in effect for the past two weeks. Is this the beginning of a wider crackdown on free speech?

By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / November 15, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting with small and medium business leaders at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow Nov. 15. More than 180 websites have been blacklisted and blocked under a restrictive new Internet law signed by Putin last July, is this the beginning of a wider crackdown on Russian free speech?

Mikhail Klimentyev/Ria Novosti/Reuters

Enlarge

More than 180 websites have been blacklisted and blocked under a restrictive new Internet law?signed by President Vladimir Putin last July, which critics warn may be the start of a wider crackdown on free speech in Russian cyberspace.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

Correspondent

Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

Recent posts

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The blacklist compiled by the Federal Surveillance Service for Mass Media and Communications (Roskomnadzor) is secret, but authorities insist its purpose is to eliminate extreme forms of "offensive" content, such as child pornography, or advocacy of racism, terrorism, drug use and other anti-social behaviors.

The list is constantly changing and expanding (Russian bloggers have posted an alleged copy of it here) and citizens can suggest new entries by logging into an official Roskomnadzor website.

But in its first two weeks of application, the law has produced a few high-profile casualties that critics say point to the fundamental weaknesses of a system that allows authorities to summarily shut down content without any need for a court order or reference to any supervisory body.?

The definitions of "offensive content" are also murky, critics say, and could easily include political conversation that looks "extremist" to a policeman's eyes and other forms of commentary that might be simply misunderstood.

That criticism seems to have already been borne out. This week alone Roskomnadzor has closed down, among others,?a Wikipedia-like encyclopedia of satire, which contained an article about how to make hemp (often associated with marijuana) soup; an online library, which included a copy of "The Anarchist's Cookbook," a 1970's American-authored manual for radicals; and a popular torrent-tracking website, on which users had apparently exchanged a file called "The Encyclopedia of Suicide."

The agency allowed those websites to reopen after the "offensive content" was pruned. But experts say those examples were hugely popular websites whose closure attracted immediate public attention and a storm of complaints; restoring service may not prove so easy for smaller victims of the law.

"The first several days of operation of this law have confirmed our worst fears," says Oleg Kozyrev, a media analyst and popular blogger. ???

"Roskomnadzor can shut down a site within 24 hours, without appealing to a court. But in order to restore a resource, one has to complain and go to court. Even so, the rules for getting back online are not at all clear ... ?As a result, big resources like YouTube, or internet encyclopedias, or social networks are all under threat. They have millions of users, and some of them are inevitably going to post something deemed offensive. That could lead to the closure of the whole portal," which will be disruptive even if it's temporary, he says.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/Fe62f5TIU70/Where-did-180-Russian-websites-go

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