A West Valley man does not need many hands to make light work — he has two to make 18,000 of them light up his front yard.
Dan Nelson has made and bought Christmas decorations for about eight years, and he is planning to expand his collection.
“Every year, I just want it to be brighter,” Nelson said. “I have more lights in my shed — in boxes that I don’t take out — than most people put up.”
“I think he’s obsessed, but I think it’s a good obsession,” said Jewel Nelson, his wife.
Dan Nelson, an architect, became fond of making Christmas decorations after a friend had asked Nelson to help with his. Ironically, the friend lived on Christmas Street.
Nelson got hooked.
“People go on vacations, and I buy Christmas lights,” he said.
In his front yard, Nelson has 10 ?plywood angels representing his granddaughters and 11 gingerbread boys representing grandsons. Each of them has a name written on it, and its eyes are painted, respective to the grandchild it represents.
Nelson said he made 21 reindeer for his friends and family members during the second year.
Among other decorations are reindeer and moose, three wise men and a nativity scene, a snowman, two soldier boys and pine trees, all decked out in lights and connected to 10 outlets. Onlookers can also hear Christmas songs in the background.
Nelson said he started getting his house into a festive mood the week before Halloween. He has since spent every weekend adding decorations.
Although the rest of Bluebird Drive doesn’t shine as brightly as the Nelsons’ home, neighbors don’t seem to mind. One of the neighbors, Randy Garcia, let Dan Nelson use a corner of his yard to set up some moose and pine trees.
“We’re actually waiting for Dan to expand all the way over,” Garcia said.
Nelson’s lights shine from 5 to 10 p.m. every night and help Rocky Mountain Power survive the country’s economic crisis.
“I don’t look at [the electricity bill],” Dan Nelson said. “We’re on a year-round [billing plan], and it goes up every year. I probably wouldn’t do this if I looked at it.”
He said that he’s trying to buy more LED lights, which run cooler and therefore save energy.
“It’s not like we’re saving anything because he keeps adding more stuff,” Jewel Nelson said.
Read full source - Front yard decorations get more elaborate for WVC couple
LONDON, Dec 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The current economic meltdown has affected sales in the global market for physical security solutions in banking and financial institutions. This is the case especially in North America and Western Europe, due to branch closures and headquarters consolidation.
Banks review their security spending every semester and it is expected that they will put on hold large and medium sized projects in the strenuous effort of consolidating their balance sheets. However, solution providers will remain buoyant due to banks’ need to protect their valuable assets from both physical and IT attacks.
According to Frost & Sullivan’s latest report, global market for Electronic Physical Security in Banking and Finance earned revenues of $936 million in 2007. “The critical need for security in banks will help in some way to sustain the spending for physical electronic security, however the growth rates in 2008 and 2009 are expected to be at least two per cent less than the peak in 2007,” observes Matia Grossi, Industry Analyst for Frost & Sullivan Electronics & Security group.
Since the electronic physical security market in the banking and financial institutions sector is very mature, it is sensitive to the shrinking of the installed base of bank retail branches and financial institutions. The huge installed support of analogue security equipment also makes banks reluctant to make the transition to Internet Protocol (IP) technology. At the same time Greenfield deployments, where latest technologies and systems are usually installed, are expected to be put on hold as new branches are unlikely to be opened.
“Focusing on the applications of security systems beyond traditional security applications, for example in customer relationship management, is one of the keys to succeeding in these challenging situations,” notes Grossi.
Greater customer awareness about the advantages and new functionalities of IP-based systems drives banks to maintain their current level of spending in electronic physical security, even in the present difficult times. Furthermore, regulatory and insurance requirements compel banks to sustain a required level of physical electronic security.
News source - Financial Crisis Affecting Banks’ Security Budget
ACACIA (a-ka’sha). About 1200 species of acacia are scattered through the warm regions of the world. Most of them are shrubs or small trees. Some are matted plants a few inches high. All are thorny and pod-bearing. The tiny sweet-smelling blossoms cluster together in fluffy balls or cylinder shapes. They range in color from deep yellow to almost white. The leaves are usually grayish and fernlike. The acacia is quick-growing and short-lived.
Australia has about 300 species of acacia. The early settlers called them wattles because they used the pliant branches to make wattle-and-daub huts. The golden wattle is Australia’s national Bower.
In the southwestern United States acacias are grown in many parks and gardens. The ornamental species were imported from Australia. The native catclaw (Texas mimosa) grows wild and (Types Of Flowers )is heartily disliked because of its strong hooked spines. The Arizona Indians, however, made meal of the pods. Smaller acacias are eaten by cattle and horses.
Gum arabic is obtained from an African species (see Gums and Resins). The Australians get tannin, used for tanning leather, from the bark of some species and make furniture of the hard, dark “black-wood” acacia. The wood of an Indian species is the chief source of catechu, a dye for true khaki. France grows several kinds for perfume.
The genus acacia belongs to the mimosa tribe of the pea family . The black locust is sometimes called “false acacia” . The plant that florists call mimosa is actually an acacia.
Read this article: Acacia plant
When mortgage rates dropped to the lowest levels in almost a year, Warren Zeger seized the opportunity to slash $720 off his monthly mortgage payment by refinancing his home in Potomac, Md.
Just don’t expect him to spend the savings.
“I’d love to tell you I’m going to spend it to help prop up the economy, but we’ve tightened our belts,” said Zeger, 61, a retired attorney. “I plan on holding on to it.”
Zeger echoed homeowners The Associated Press interviewed nationwide who have taken advantage of lower rates since Nov. 25th. They planned to stuff the money they saved under the mattress or pay off bills. Refiinance activity has surged as interest rates tumbled about 1 percentage point to around 5.5 percent in response to the Federal Reserve’s plan to scoop up $600 billion of mortgage-related securities.
“We’ve had a lot homeowners waiting for some time” for this drop in rates, said Ritch Workman, co-owner of Workman Mortgage in Melbourne, Fla.
The Fed’s move was the latest in an unprecedented series of actions to help stabilize the housing and credit markets as well as the broader economy. However, pushing down mortgage rates may only have a muted effect on the economy. That’s because more than a quarter of homeowners with a mortgage can’t qualify for a new loan, and many who can are so financially stretched that little of the money they save will end up in store cash registers.
“If you’re worried about making it month to month and your mortgage is your biggest payment you’re not going out to buy a car and a lot of Christmas gifts,” said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication in Bethesda, Md.
Stuart Cassell in Sarasota, Fla., is putting his $80 monthly refinanse savings into his nest egg, while product development manager Subash Ramnani in Chicago is using the extra $300 a month from his refinancing to pay for graduate school. Jennifer Burke and her husband in Bel Air, Md., are saving the additional $240 a month as they wait out the recession and raise a one-year-old daughter.
Marcus Leef’s $150 monthly savings is going to daycare costs and personal savings. Leef, a consultant in Hartford County, Conn., has seen his stock portfolio plummet 40 percent, his retirement savings plunge by half and his corporate stock tumble by 60 percent this year. He’s not optimistic.
“My view is the economy is in the toilet. It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said. “If rates drop another point tomorrow, I’ll (refinance) again the day after.”
Those are the luckiest homeowners. Les Berman, a mortgage broker in Encino, Calif., said most borrowers contacting him have interest-only mortgages and they want to lock into a fixed-rate loan. They’re not saving any money each month if they do that; instead, they’re taking higher payments to get out of riskier loans.
“They want that security. They want to protect themselves against the future,” he said, even if it means shelling out more each month.
Other borrowers, like Eric Dudek in Grand Rapids, Mich., are waiting to see if rates drop further after hearing reports that the government is considering a proposal to lower the rate on 30-year home loans to 4.5 percent by buying more mortgage-backed securities.
“I’m thinking maybe I should hold off, you know?” said Dudek, who would use the savings from a refinancing to pay off student loans.
Read this full story: Homeowners refinance, put savings in piggy banks
by Trey Granger
This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.
Regardless of economic conditions, travel during November and December increases, often up to 23 percent during the Christmas and New Year’s breaks. Whether you’re visiting friends and family by plane, train or automobile, here’s eight ways to travel green this holiday season:
1. Ride the Rails . . . and Bus Routes
Wondering what’s the greenest form of travel? Actually, traveling by bus or train consumes the least amount of carbon per passenger. In the winter, travel by other means is subject to road closures and weather delays. Plus, trains and buses will usually drop you downtown for easier access to the city you’re visiting.
2. Enjoy Paperless Travel
No matter how you decide to travel, there is potential for lots of paper use. You’ve got tickets and boarding passes, baggage claim receipts and even directions to your lodging. But in this technological age, is all this paper necessary?
- Wait to print boarding passes at the airport, where less paper is used (and refuse the “ticket jacket” if offered).
- Enter important addresses into a portable GPS unit to take on your travel, so you won’t need to print directions.
- Ask if travel receipts can be emailed to you instead of printed (except luggage, of course).
3. Prepare Your Car
If you’re one of the 91 percent of people who opt for the holiday road trip, pre-trip car maintenance can optimize your gas mileage. This includes checking your motor oil and tire pressure, as well as removing unnecessary baggage that will weigh down your car. A 15-minute car preparation can help prevent a two-hour car breakdown in cold weather and more money spent on gas.
4. Reduce Airplane Waste
Think about how much waste you go through on an average flight. There’s peanut and food wrappers, aluminum soda and beer cans, disposable headphones, newspapers and magazines and the aforementioned paper travel documents. Other than the headphones and wrappers, it can all be recycled, and chances are your airport has recycling bins.
Keep this in mind before the flight attendant comes around asking for your trash. You can also bring your own headphones and packed lunch, or tuck your newspaper into the seat in front of you for the next passenger to read.
Read full article - 8 Ways to Green Your Winter Travel
The cookery sites, cookery recipe books & some special subscription of some famous chefs make cooking very easy for all users. So ready-made easy appetizer recipes are also one part of that online cooking. There are various simple recipes of appetizers which user can make at home. Also apart from home, the restaurants, hotels, such recipes also benefit food parlors.
Easy appetizer recipes also incorporated the user by giving various additional categories of these appetizers recipe & suggest some links like special reviews, comment and search option regarding search for exclusive, famous and award winning appetizer recipes.
Unusual categories are involved in various easy appetizers recipes. Various types of cheese recipes are ideal for appetizers & finger foods. There are several supplementary recipes, which are allied to the appetizers. Appetizers cheese recipes include beer cheese, brie, cheeseball, gougere, goat cheese, pimento cheese. We can sight numerous hottest, continental & customary appetizer recipes that are prepared of cheese and we can surf it from the cookery recipe sites.
The next category of easy appetizer recipes is cold appetizers recipes, which have also supplementary types. These categories or cold appetizers are antipasto, finger sandwiches that is provided as cold appetizers. Tapas, Pinwheels, Eggs that are deviled, Roll ups, Mushrooms that are marinated are the types of simple cold appetizer recipes. These cold appetizers recipes can access from perticular cookery sites.
Dip and Spread recipes are also one kind of easy appetizer recipes. It contains additional recipe categories like layer dip, appetizer cheesecake, artichoke crab dip, artichoke spinach dip, baba ghanouj, bean and cheese dip, black bean dip, bread dip and many more.
The next essence in the easy appetite recipes are hot appetite recipes. It contains added recipe categories like appetizer meatballs, bacon appetizers, asparagus appetizers appetizer quiche, artichoke appetizers and many more. We can explore for recipe ingredients of those appetizer recipes via links from the toolbar.
Read full article: How to Make Easy Appetizer Recipes
This is the second in our series on how to buy and care for the most common holiday plants. Once upon a time, this Mexican native was such a finicky plant that it rarely last much beyond the end of December, if that long.
Boy, have things changed! Now it’s not at all unusual for a poinsettia to look good all the way till Easter.
If that hasn’t been your experience, here’s what you need to know:
In the store, when you’re choosing the plant, look for deep green leaves all the way to the base. Move the foil back at the bottom of the foliage to see if any leaves have turned yellow from lack of light.
If you want the freshest plant available — one, typically, that should last longer because you’re going to give it better care at your home than it received in a big-box store — look at the tiny little yellow buttonlike flowers in the middle of the colored bracts.
If they’re closed or barely open, the plant is very fresh. If they’re missing (having already fallen off), it’s been around a while. See if you can find another.
OK, let’s stop a second here for those of who might be confused by the word “bracts” and who think those little yellow things in the center of all that red couldn’t possibly be the flowers of the plant. If you know all this stuff, skip the next paragraph.
The showy red (cream, pink, yellow, or bicolor) parts of a poinsettia are called bracts. They’re actually there to entice pollinating insects to visit the inconspicuous flowers.
Once you’ve picked the poinsettia you want, make sure that the store gently wraps it up if temperatures are 50 degrees F. (10 C ) or lower. On a cold day, you’ll want to take the plant right home, not leave it in the car while you do the rest of your holiday shopping. Poinsettias don’t respond well to shivery weather.
The first thing to do after you have the plant back home is remove the foil wrapping. It blocks light from reaching the lower leaves and encourages root rot because water collects in the bottom.
Better to put the plant into a cachepot if you want something decorative. There, you can see if there’s standing water in the bottom that you need to pour off.
If you can’t bring yourself to do that, at the very least move the foil back from the base of the plant and poke good-sized holes in the bottom so water can drain out. (Then put the plant n a saucer, of course.)
Place the plant where it will receive at least six hours of bright light daily but not touch a cold windowpane. I know, I know. You bought the plant as a decoration, and it should be on the coffee table or the fireplace mantel, not a windowsill.
But give it light during the day — to keep it happy and looking good — then move it to wherever you like in the evening.
Read full article here: The 12 days of Christmas plants — poinsettias
Company: Solar Energy International Cost: $695/$645 mbr. Location: Online Website: Visit event website Whether you’re building your own house or simply want to talk knowledgeably with those who will build it for you, this workshop will help you understand the home design principles that make use of both new and centuries old methods and materials for sustainable living. Building for the Future Online will focus on the principles behind designing and building residential structures that achieve optimal year-round comfort, reduce energy consumption, improve indoor air quality, and limit environmental impact. The emphasis is on integrated design using a whole-building approach, applying building science and integrating green design strategies into the built environment. Also covered will be the synergistic relationship between climate-sensitive design and natural building materials. Designed to compliment each other, the Building for the Future online & face-to-face courses can be taken independently to bring you up to speed or combined with each other to solidify knowledge. Both courses provide a solid overview of building a sustainable home with specifics in site analysis, building science, energy efficiency, passive solar design and alternatives to conventional building materials & techniques. In addition to online curriculum, participants will receive The Building With Awareness video, the book Your Green Home by Alex Wilson, and industry related hand-outs, and numerous Internet resource links. A course glossary, extensive resource guide and case studies of successful sustainable homes are included online. You can work on the Building for the Future Online course at ANYTIME, but you will generally need between 8-15 hrs/week to complete assignments/quizzes and participate in online discussions. The Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technologies (CERET) offers certificates in Renewable Energy to provide students with the theoretical knowledge necessary to begin a career in energy management and renewable energy technology. Certificates are granted through Madison Area Technical College (MATC). SEI’s online courses qualify for college credits through MATC and towards a Renewable Energy Certificate. Click here for more information on CERET’s Renewable Energy Certificates.” Students residing outside the United States must pay an extra fee for shipping of course materials. Contact SEI for details. Topics Include * Building Orientation * Solar Site Analysis * Lessons Learned * Building Science * Moisture & Air Leakage * Super-Insulation Strategies * New Window Technologies * Passive Solar Designs * Energy Efficient Technologies * Indoor Air Quality * Sustainable Back-up Heating Systems * Healthy/Green Building Materials * Domestic Solar Hot Water * Renewable Energy Options * Practical Building Techniques Read full article: Building for the Future: Sustainable Home Design
Looking at the increasing number of road accidents, as well as vehicle theft, insurance for your vehicle is a must. Getting coverage for a vehicle means that at the time of damage or theft, the company from whom the policy is taken will cover the cost of damages, or will pay for the cost of the vehicle in case of theft. Many of the firms are offering insurance policies on a commercial basis as well, one example being the introduction of taxi insurance in which cover is provided for taxis, cabs and even vans. Private hire insurance policies, as well as public hire insurance policies, are two types of taxi insurance policies available. In comparison to the public hire insurance policy, private hire insurance policies are a lot more expensive as they involve a higher risk.
These types of taxi insurances are very popular these days, as having taxis for public as well as private hire includes a lot of risks, and not opting for any kind of insurance policy will make the running of taxis unaffordable. But one must also be very careful in choosing the company from whom the insurance is obtained, as it is a very specialised field, and very few companies are providing it at genuine prices. Getting a cheap taxi insurance policy may not be a very hard nut to crack because of the competition between the companies.
Obtaining these taxi insurance policies is very easy, as one may register directly over the net or can even consult any executive from the taxi insurance company. The best way to get cheap taxi insurance is to directly get in contact with the wholesale insurance agents as they are well trained and can calculate the minimum amount of premium required to obtain a taxi insurance policy. The prices, or the premium, of the policy is relatively cheap, if there is a good number of a taxis included in the policy. Apart from this, there are three types of taxi insurance policies offered by companies and they are: third party, fully comprehensive, and third party fire & theft.
Read full article: Different Types of Taxi Insurance
Source
Consumer confidence could hurt new-car sales in final quarter of fiscal year
Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, November 28, 2008
Bargain-priced “slightly used” cars will become a hot commodity in Canada as price-conscious buyers scoop them up and U.S. car dealers — armed with a stronger currency — prowl the Canadian market for deals.
That’s the prediction from Canadian car-pricing expert Paul Timeoto, who expects a falling dollar to stir the interest of U.S. dealers in Canadian vehicles.
“The prospect of U.S. dealers coming up here to buy is looming very strongly now,” said Timeoto, president of online car-pricing-data firm CarCostCanada.com. “The dollar has only been below 90 cents US for a few weeks so it may take a little while for them to pay attention to our market. But it won’t take long.”
He noted that until recently, Canadian car dealers took advantage of a strong Canadian dollar to buy used cars — less than one year old — in the U.S. and resell them in Canada.
“Dealers went down there and literally brought them back by the truckload and Canadians saved a lot of money that way,” Timeoto said. “But that situation has dried up now and the reverse is likely to happen.”
New vehicle sales in Canada during the first three quarters this year appeared to be heading for a solid year of about 1.6 million sales, but declining consumer confidence in the final quarter could push that figure down.
Statistics Canada said 14,900 new vehicles were sold in B.C. in September, a 10.8-per-cent decline from the same month last year.
Dueck Downtown general manager Greg Keith said used cars are popular with many buyers, but almost everyone wants the newest technology possible because fuel efficiency is such an important factor.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense for a person to buy a three-year-old car, especially with gas prices the way they are now,” he said. “I drive a new Escalade hybrid full-size vehicle that gets better fuel economy than a lot of mid-sized cars.”
StatsCan said new-vehicle prices in Canada are at their most affordable level now in more than 15 years, measured as a percentage of disposable income. It takes about 19 weeks of disposable income for a typical Canadian household to buy a new car, down from a peak of 25 weeks a decade ago.
Read full article: U.S. auto dealers looking north of border to snap up used-car bargains