Monthly Archives: May 2017
Improved Window Features Go with Improved Home Security
Making sure that your home is safe and secure has become a prime concern for many homeowners. Here are some window features for houses that will strengthen home security.
Louvre
Louvres are window blinds that have horizontal slats to let in air or light. Some websites, such as cvsgroup.com.au, say that not only do louvres help in saving energy and ensuring that there is proper airflow into the room, but they also serve as an additional layer of security that will deter burglars and trespassers into your home.
Shade Screens
Aluminium shade screens are becoming increasingly common in homes all over Australia due to its stylish adaptability and its capability to block the sun’s heat and rays. But more than that, it provides a better security feature compared to window grills.
Window Grills
There was once a time when window grills were the best available option for those who wanted to have their home secured. Technology has revolutionised window security so much that this is no longer the case. While window grills have fallen out of fashion, it still presents a decent level of security to a home.
Door and Window Sunscreen
Door sunscreens may not provide strong security for homes, but it does give a certain degree of privacy. With door sunscreens, people outside will not be able to peek into your home. This quality also discourages burglars from trying to get into the house as they do not know the terrain beyond the door.
Jalousie Windows
Jalousie windows are often mistaken for louvres due to their similarities. The main difference between the two lies in the fact that louvres cannot be adjusted. Their similarity, on the other hand, lies in their level of security.
Consider these window features the next time you want to protect the home from possible security threats. Safety always begins with awareness and vigilance.
Traveler Hacks: Ways to Save on Your Vacation
Do you want to take a vacation from your hectic Indiana work life, but you have concerns about your budget? Many travelers have repeatedly debunked the common misconception that holiday or weekend vacations need to be expensive.
When you want to save and still go on vacation, you can follow the tricks below that have already helped countless of other thrifty travelers.
Find Cheap Flights
In traveling, your airfare may likely be one of the biggest expenses you will pay for. To save on airplane tickets, you can book cheap flights from South Bend – such as those offered by South Bend International Airport – that can take you to major cities in the United States. You can even book connecting international flights from South Bend.
Book Off-Peak or Early
In addition to the cheap flights, you can choose to travel off-peak. Off-peak seasons mean fewer travelers. In turn, fewer travelers mean cheaper airfare due to lower demand. Alternately, you can simply book a flight months or even a year before your trip.
Choose Cheap Accommodation
Once you reach your vacation destination, your housing costs may also be one of your biggest expenses. To save on accommodation, you can stay at a bed and breakfast, a budget hotel, or even a booking on Airbnb.
In international destinations, especially in Asia, you may even get a chance to live in the homes of locals who can give you a fuller travel experience.
Go Cheap
Now, you can think about saving on your transportation costs on your next vacation destination. International destinations support carpool services that you can try; you can meet locals in this way while you save on transportation.
You can also take walking tours that can take you to your vacation destination. You can explore, exercise, and enjoy your destination in the tour.
You can find many more travel tricks that can help you fit a vacation into any budget. In fact, you may even discover a few tricks of your own. As long as you spend time planning for your vacation, you can finally have a memorable and relaxing break from work.
Start Early: Teaching Kids Good Oral Habits
Kids often imitate what their parents do, so it is important to display proper oral hygiene habits in front of them. When children see their parents brush and floss daily, they are likely to adopt the same habits and practice them as they grow old. This can promote long-term oral and overall health, which is likely to continue in their adult years.
Here are the other healthy oral habits you should instill to your kids and other members of the family:
Choose water
Let children see and understand the importance of choosing water over other beverages. It is still okay to have some soda and fruit juice occasionally, but never make them a habit. You should also avoid watching TV while having sugary snacks and drinks, as kids are likely to adopt the habit.
Store healthy foods at home
If your pantry is filled with chips, cookies, soda, and other unhealthy options, your kids will be accustomed to those treats. Always choose healthy treats like fruits and vegetables. South Davis Pediatric Dentistry and other pediatric dentists suggest preparing snacks at home instead of ordering fast food.
Continue dental hygiene in vacation
While vacation is all about having fun, your kids should not forget about brushing and flossing daily. Encourage them to drink plenty of water and clean their teeth 30 minutes after meals. Show them that oral hygiene is important to have a beautiful and healthy smile.
Always visit the dentist
Start visiting the dentist early on and make this a habit twice a year. You should also show them that you’re comfortable sitting in the dentist’s chair, so they will also feel the same. This can help them develop a good relationship with the dentist, which can continue in their adult years.
Encourage proper oral hygiene habits to promote healthy and strong teeth. This also means choosing water and other teeth-friendly beverages and stocking healthy and low-sugar snacks at home. Don’t forget to keep with oral hygiene even when you’re not at home and visit the dentist two times year.
The Placebo Effect of Lift Buttons
Have you ever pressed the up button on a lift, but it wasn’t coming fast enough, so you pressed the button a few more times in the hope that it sped up its arrival? Despite what your brain is telling you, pressing the call button over and over again to make the life come faster doesn’t work.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the lift is faulty. Professionally-made lifts like those from Vertrans Lift Surveys & Certification Ltd prioritises the safety of passengers over anything else, and the placebo effect of lift buttons can help ensure it.
The Truth about the Call and Door Close Button
Once you press the call button on the lift, the lift’s controllers register the command and proceed to go to your floor. If you press the call button again, however, it doesn’t trigger a mechanism to make the lift arrive faster.
The close door buttons inside the lifts do not always work, either. It can be due to different reasons: the doors could be set on a time delay to close after five seconds, broken, or disconnected.
Doors Must Stay Open Long Enough for Disabled Passengers
Lifts don’t have functioning close buttons to ensure the safety of disabled passengers. Doors must stay open long enough for anyone who uses a cane, a wheelchair or crutches to safely get on, after all.
The Illusion of Control has Therapeutic Effects
Experts agree that the minor sense of control people experience when they hit the buttons on lifts and cross walks that don’t have definite functions is mildly therapeutic. The Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer states that the perceived control is very important since it diminishes stress and promotes one’s mental well-being. The concept of a placebo is so effective that evidence shows that it still works even when you know you’re getting a placebo.
Buttons on lifts are not entirely useless; they just have to follow some guidelines to ensure the safety of all its passengers.
Protect Your Eyes From Dust And Other Contaminants Inside The Shop
The increasing demands for products that use metal and iron materials have spurred the growth of sandblasting services. These specialised shops use sandblasting equipment and ground materials to prepare the metal surface for powder coating.
Often, manufacturers of some metal products prefer the dry finishing process of powder coating, which requires metal surfaces to undergo sandblasting processes, so the coating will tightly bond. The only thing with sandblasting shops is that since the personnel is using finely-ground materials, the interior of the store often looks like it was hit with a sandstorm.
This can cause a lot of problems, particularly to the eyes of the workers. Sandblasting shops have implemented some safety measures to minimise the risk of eye infection or damage.
Adequate Eye Protection
Due to the nature of the finely-ground materials that come out from sandblasting equipment, workers need to have sufficient eye protection. It is not enough that you wear safety goggles as this type of eyewear has been known to shield your eyes against minor tasks. Swirling dust particles after each sandblasting process can enter the gaps between the goggles and your face.
If you are thinking of wearing protective goggles with rubber seams to seal your eyes in, you would be sorely mistaken to think you are now protected. Light particles that settled on your face can get into your eyes once you remove such eyewear.
Full Head Covering
There are safety wears, such as the full helmet configuration, which are designed to properly protect against fine particles emitted by sandblasting and abrasive processes. This full head cover design will protect you against such particles from your eyes to your head and neck.
According to Safe Work Australia, this full helmet configuration complete with a safety eyewear fixed inside the headgear is best for sandblasting shops. Using this protective headgear and eyewear, sandblasting shop workers will be more than adequately protected against fine contaminants flying in the air inside these shops.
Dust Extractors
Sandblasting and abrasive service shops need dust extraction equipment to remove dust and other fine particles that are present in the air. An article posted on the Knowledge.Axminster.co.uk underscored the importance of using dust extractors in shops where fine particles are floating freely in the air. Using this equipment on top of other safety gears will make the workplace much safer for the eyes of the shop’s workers.
Working in sandblasting shops can expose workers to various health risks like suffering from eye irritation or damage. Bear in mind that damage to the eye can sometimes be permanent. Although this does not mean you will go blind immediately, your vision will somewhat be affected.
When this happens, it will be very hard for you to do regular tasks which you used to perform easily. Wearing sufficient protection, alongside other protective measures, can help shield your eyes from such risk.
Hard Water on Your Skin: Does It Trigger Acne?
Blemishes are one of the world’s greatest mysteries. No matter how much time you invest in washing your face or spend money on cleansers and toners, the problem is the same: you still have plenty of them.
When acne occurs, the blame falls to different suspects: dirt, oil, genetics, or that cheap cleanser you bought the other day.
But have you thought about another culprit? The actual suspect behind your acne problems might be something you never thought of before: water (particularly the hard type).
Here’s why you’ll need to buy a water softener in Provo for your skin:
Is Hard Water Hard on the Skin?
Eighty-five percent of Americans use hard water in their homes. This water might seem harmless, but the high mineral content creates soap scum that clogs your pores, which results in breakouts. The minerals in hard water prevent proper reaction of soap; instead of lather, you have to deal with soapy layers on your skin. Apart from clogged pores, you also experience flaky, itchy, and dry skin.
The impurities in the water can also worsen skin conditions such as eczema. Dermveda, an online library on skin concerns, points to high calcium ion concentrations as the culprit behind the angry red patches. The level of minerals in hard water is a factor in worsening eczema conditions.
What Heavy Metals Do to the Skin
The minerals in hard water trigger a chemical reaction with the skin’s natural oils. Impurities change the consistency of oil from liquid to wax, which clogs your pores. Hard water also has the same response to creams.
Minerals in tap water also act as free radicals that bond to the skin and destroy the cells. This breaks down the collagen, resulting in the formation of wrinkles and fine lines.
What You Can Do
The best way to sort out your water is by getting a filter or a water softener. These systems weed out the bad particles in your tap water, which leaves it purified and better for the skin. Washing with distilled water instantly lathers the soap, dismantling the scum on your skin.
Water should be your skin’s best friend, not its worst enemy. Enforce the love affair between these two by switching to the soft option.
Child Custody in Australia: Essential Things to Know
Separation or divorce is not an easy affair, especially if there are kids involved. According to the Family Law Act, parents may exercise parental responsibility either jointly or independently, regardless of the status of their relationship. There’s likewise the presumption that a child’s best interest is for both parents to share equal responsibility, with both parties ideally involved in decision-making regarding the child’s welfare.
Basic Child Custody Issues
Plenty of issues could arise from a separation or divorce, with the most common ones being:
- The amount of time each parent spends with the child;
- Where the child will live;
- The amount of time allotted to each parent on important holidays like birthdays, Christmas, and school breaks among others;
- Where the child will go to school; and
- The child’s health care, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities among many others.
Behavioural Check-up
The court also has to decide on parenting orders that would be in the child’s best interests. According to one of the top family lawyers in Townsville, the court would take into account the following considerations when making a decision:
- The relationship between each parent and the child;
- The child’s preferences, considering that he or she is old or mature enough to speak up;
- The parents’ willingness to encourage and help foster a relationship between the other parent and the child;
- Each party’s emotional, mental, and physical capacity to provide for the needs of the child; and
- The impact of the changes on the circumstances of the child.
Regardless of the reasons behind a child custody case, the law would always seek to uphold the child’s best interests. Child custody issues could be complex, even for parents who have amiable relationships. Bearing this in mind, consult with an experienced family lawyer to determine the best course of action should a dispute surface.
Ways to Take Care of Your Hair
Hair is an important part of a person’s physical appearance. It plays an important role in your self-esteem. The hair could make a person look smart, intelligent, brave and even healthy. With numerous hair treatments, products, and services, people nowadays are keener on having a healthy and kept hair.
For some with serious hair health problems, they can go to hair clinics in Manchester for the necessary treatment. Here are ways to get a healthy, good-looking hair.
Maintain a healthy diet
Hair cells are the fastest growing cells in your body, and it needs Iron to support its reproduction. Include iron-rich foods like red meat, nuts, beans, leafy vegetables, and whole grain to assure hair growth.
Proteins are the major component of the hair, making it strong and less brittle. Eat more fish, oils, dairy product, chicken, eggs and the like.
Get a regular hair trim
Cutting your hair regularly is another way to keep your hair strong. Split ends, caused by excessive combing and use of styling tools; make your hair look neglected and brittle. Having a trim every 6-8 weeks can maintain the health and strength of your hair.
Use shampoo and conditioner appropriately
Use the right shampoo for your hair type and use it properly. Shampoo and condition your hair with gentle ingredients that would not harm your hair. If possible, use them sparingly, for the excessive use of these products can break and damage the hair.
Be gentle
Comb your hair gently with the right tools. Moreover, let your hair dry naturally and avoid using hot tools excessively to prevent damage to the hair.
Giving your hair extra care can make you look healthy and attractive and can help you avoid the trouble of having damaged and thinning hair.
A Beginner’s Guide to Investing in Silver Coins
If investing in precious metals were a wedding ceremony, silver would be bridesmaids, gold the bride. For so long the former has played second fiddle to the latter, and for obvious reasons.
In rare instances though, silver outdoes gold. Take for example what happened during the most recent financial crisis when silver prices doubled, while gold lagged behind with a mere 70pc rise in value.
If you want to give investing in silver a chance, here are tips to get the ball rolling.
Know your silver
You may want to consider investing in one of the four major types of silver sold in the market:
Coins
These come in two sub-categories: (a) generic coins, also known as rounds, are privately produced and boast of no rare value except for their silver content (One Troy Ounce, .999 Fine Silver, etc.); and, (b) collectible coins or “numismatic,” which are often hoarded by hobbyist for their premium value, such as the Canadian Maple Leaf and the American Eagle.
Bars
These come in weight-dependent varieties (1000, 400, 100, 10, 5 ounces).
90%
These refer to the US minted coins circa 1964 and earlier, except pennies and nickels, which contain 10% copper and 90% silver.
Loose
Exactly what their name suggests; this silver variant comes in different forms except the ones already mentioned.
Know your investment options
There are two ways to invest in silver. There are the physical variants you buy like silver coins UK or USA or Canada, depending on your preference, or buy non-physical silver in the form of silver mining company stock or Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF).
One of the cheapest ways to invest in silver coins is to purchase “junk silver coin.” These government-issued coins contain a specific amount of silver and could appreciate in value as collectables.
Silver may not be the most precious of precious metals. It is nonetheless an investment opportunity worth exhausting. After all, bridesmaids sometimes steal the spotlight from the bride.
Visiting the Dentist for a Check-Up: What to Expect
Just like regular health check-ups, dental check-ups are also an essential part of a preventive healthcare regime. During a dental examination, a dentist will evaluate the patient’s oral health, examine the head, neck and soft tissue and look for signs of gum disease or oral cancer. Dental check-ups also offer a great opportunity to get answers about specific oral health issues and receive proper oral hygiene.
The time between dental check-ups can vary from three months to two years, depending on the health of a patient’s teeth and gums, as well as the risk for future problems. Generally, though, patients are advised to visit the dentist at least twice a year in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises and keep their teeth and gums in optimal condition. An experienced dentist, such as those at RP Advanced Dental Care at NW3, will look for any signs of oral disease and prevent future problems.
What to Expect During a Routine Dental Examination
During a dental check-up, the dentist will likely ask questions about the general health of the patient and require information on the state of their teeth since their last visit. It is really important for patients to inform the dentist of any new or changed medications since their last check-up.
The dentist will then look into the mouth as well as the neck and carry out a thorough examination of the teeth, gums and soft tissue. If needed, certain patients may need to undergo additional tests or x-rays. Furthermore, the dentist will also check for any problems with fillings, braces, bridges, dentures, crowns, or other restorations.
The dentist will also ask about a patient’s lifestyle and provide valuable advice on diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and teeth cleaning in order to help them improve their oral health.
If there are any signs of dental problems, the dentist will offer advice about potential changes you could make and will also discuss a preventive treatment plan.
Even patients who brush and floss their teeth regularly, are advised to visit the dentist at regular intervals for dental check-ups and cleanings. This way, not only will they keep their teeth and gums clean but they will also protect their mouth from dental decay, gum disease and oral cancer.
