Raleigh, N.C. In the last few years, Sept. 11 has transitioned from a day of mourning to a national day of service. This year, a husband and wife served their community one day early in the hopes of motivating others to do the same.

Robin and Bruce Foster, owners of Mr. Handyman of western Wake County, and three of their technicians visited the Garner Road Community Center in Raleigh on Wednesday to volunteer their construction and maintenance services, including power-washing the facility, fixing plumbing, drywall repairs and more.

The center, at 2235 Garner Road, provides social, cultural, educational and sports programs for Wake County children, families and adults. About 300 children and more than 20 organizations use the center throughout the year. Outreach programs also operate out of the facility.

We realized how much contribution there was by the first responders, and this gives the everyday person the opportunity to give back and kind of recognize the sacrifice they made, said Bruce Foster.

Mo Johnson, director of the center, says the wear and tear on the center was obvious and he is grateful for the help. The center does not have the financial resources to make building repairs regularly, he said.

View original post here:
Business owners volunteer at Raleigh community center in remembrance of 9/11

When preparing to sell your home, you probably spend a lot of time and energy getting it in its best showing condition. But can improvements to your neighbors property help sell your home?

Imagine that youve spent time and energy weeding the front yard, painting the front door, power-washing your siding and planting flowers. Youve updated the kitchen and bathrooms and de-cluttered the home. Youre ready to go to market.

And then, when you step across the street to look at your home, all that stands out are the beat-up cars in your neighbors driveway, not to mention the torn-up lawn, barking dogs and overall negative curb appeal (or in this case, curb unappealing).

If you find the neighbors home unappealing, imagine what a potential buyer may think. The fact is, your neighbors unsightly property can rub off on your own houses curb appeal, no matter how much youve done to improve it. But you have options.

Even if you dont have a plan to sell now, its good practice to maintain a friendly relationship with the neighbors. You never know when youll need them.

Aside from possible curb appeal issues, its not uncommon for issues to come up during a sale. Problems regarding fence repair, retaining walls or easements can often bring a neighbor into your home sale process. Having a good relationship with your neighbor from the beginning will help to ensure their cooperation when you need them at a critical time in the home sale.

If you plan to sell your home in the near future, its a good idea to give the neighbors a heads-up well in advance. Aside from the occasional nosey neighbor, people simply like to be in the know. If you think youll need assistance from a neighbor for whatever reason, it will be easier to approach them if youve given them notice. Knocking on their door telling them youre selling and then requesting their cooperation under the gun wont help.

It will be difficult to ask your neighbors to reseed their lawn, pull their weeds, change their fence or paint their door to help your sale. Ask them to pay for it, and you can expect resistance.

If you need your neighbor to do some curb appeal work to help your sale, the money should come out of your pocket. On top of that, you cant force the neighbor to use your landscaper, painter or contractor, even if youre paying for it. Dont forget: Its their home, not yours, and you need to tread lightly. Though many neighbors will appreciate the offer to spruce up their home on your dime, others may be hesitant. Bullying them to work on your timeframe or with your rules wont help.

With luck, a home sale can proceed smoothly without the need to involve neighbors. But if you hope to sell in the future, understand that your neighbors cooperation may be necessary. If you plan in advance, open the doors of communication and offer to make things easy, youre more likely to get what you want.

Read more here:
How Your Neighbors Can Help (or Hurt) Your Home's Sale

MANCHESTER Bankers and financial advisers volunteered to sort through donated goods for a future yard sale and painted inspirational sayings on walls Wednesday at the Manchester Homeless Services Center.

It was all part of the Granite United Ways annual Day of Caring, when an estimated 1,500 people volunteered at 160 different nonprofit locations.

Karrie Eaton, United Way spokesman, said the non-profits look forward to the day each year because many dont have the manpower to do the needed work.

Theres a lot of painting, she said, explaining the organizations dont have the staff to empty a room, paint it and then put everything back. Theres a lot of sweat equity going on.

Sprucing up city shelter

Among those providing some of that sweat was Ken Sheldon, state president of Bank of America, who with 10 others in the financial field took up brooms and paintbrushes to spruce up the Manchester Homeless Services Center at 140 Central St.

Weve been cataloging some donations. Theyre going to be holding a public yard sale, he said. Now were taking on some painting assignments.

Sheldon said he has worked in Manchester for about 20 years, and it was only through the Day of Caring that he came to learn about the center, which provides a hand up, not handouts to about 100 to 200 homeless people, according to Jake King, the centers director.

Painting inspirational sayings on the centers walls was one of the projects. Jared Breault of Bank of Americas Merrill-Lynch Wealth Management division, made certain Nelson Mandelas, It always seem impossible until its done, was perfect, using a rag to wipe away an errant bit of paint.

Easter Seals jobsite

See original here:
Volunteers donate sweat equity for United Way's Day of Caring

2 hours ago by Anne Ju

Let's face it: We're energy hogs. We want more light, we flip a switch. If we're hot, we crank up the AC, without a second thought on the power grid strain. It's what economists call inelastic demand the resource is widely sought and always available, and there's little motivation to conserve.

Meanwhile, the expansion of electricity transmission and generation capacity, even with increases in renewable energy sources, hasn't kept pace with demand. As the U.S. power grid operates closer to its capacity, spikes in demand can lead to tremendous cost increases.

Cornell researchers are tackling this issue with a behavioral economics-based twist. Led by Eilyan Bitar, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, an experiment in partnership with Consolidated Edison Inc. this summer has shown that consumers might be willing to back off of demand if there's a game of chance involved.

Among Bitar's research interests is designing what's called demand response programs initiatives by power companies aimed at decreasing demand, as opposed to increasing supply in the energy consumption equation. These programs usually come in the form of marginal cost-based monetary incentives, but participation is usually low because there is not enough money involved.

Supported by a National Science Foundation grant, Bitar has led a summerlong project testing a demand response program that plays to the behavior of consumers when given the chance, however small, to win a large sum of money. Their approach is rooted in the behavioral economics principles of risk-seeking agency in decision-making.

In the experiment, 200 households can opt in to a demand response program for remotely controllable wall-mounted air conditioning units in the New York City area. Depending on how often they allow Con Edison to increase their temperature set points to save energy during peak usage times, they're entered into a raffle with several tiers, starting at a chance to win $5 all the way to several hundred dollars. The probability of winning, like the lottery, decreases as the prize increases but there's a reason why people play the lottery, too.

"Essentially, we're leveraging on people's tendency to overweight small probabilities," Bitar said. "An important strength of these incentives comes from their ability to induce cost-effective reductions in demand in a way that consumers enjoy."

A control group in the experiment of about 5,000 households receives a standard $25 payment for participation in the demand response program. The research team hasn't analyzed all the data yet, but preliminary results indicate a significantly higher participation rate in the lottery group.

Bitar's NSF project deals broadly with the challenges of integrating intermittent renewable energy into the grid by harnessing flexibility in the demand side of energy consumption. A specific objective in the proposal is to leverage principles of behavioral science.

View post:
Experiment makes energy savings a game

Its been three years since Hurricane Irene the first of three storms in two years that left Ridgefielders in the dark after day rampaged through town in late August 2011.

Eight weeks later, the Halloween noreaster named storm Alfred dropped wet, heavy snow onto still-leafy trees, bringing down branches and wires and earning the nickname Snowtober.

A year after that, in late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the area.

All three taught a simple lesson: be ready.

Is Ridgefield?

I have to believe our community has to be one of the best prepared communities in the greater New York metropolitan area, for our size, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.

Ridgefield has an emergency shelter, the Recreation Center at 195 Danbury Road, which is open free to all residents when needed. In addition to its recreation facilities including showers amenities have been added that improve its usefulness as a shelter.

Theres now a big 450-kilowatt generator on site, powerful enough to run the entire building.

Previously, the buildings smaller 100 kilowatt back-up generator could only power emergency lighting and keep the pumps running.

Although the generator is there and the buildings multiple electrical systems could be hooked up to it by an electrician, when needed, a system is not yet operational to automatically switch the building to auxiliary power when CL&Ps electric grid stops delivering.

See original here:
Town builds its readiness for big storms

Image 1 of 20:Twenty-seven-year-old Mohammad Kamal al-Amari hails from Deraa, a Syrian city just north of the Jordanian border. Deraa was the starting point of the 2011 uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Its a war-ravaged region that most of Zaataris residents once called home.

Image 1 of 20:I worked as an art teacher for four years; I used to be a member of the Deraa Contemporary Art Association and I participated in many art exhibitions, with projects in different media, said al-Amari. A key member of the Fountain of Youth group, hes been living at Zaatari for 7 months.

Image 1 of 20:The artist paints intricate scenes in a variety of styles. Acrylic paint and watercolors, pen and pencil all contribute to rich portrayals of daily life in the midst of civil war. His colors explode off the paper, but his scenes convey a quiet humanity.

Image 1 of 20:Reducing his palette to paper and ballpoint pen, al-Amari shows cartoonist chops worthy of The New Yorker, or the long-defunct Punch. This explosive example parodies the war in (and on) Syria. Wed love to see him expand his work into a graphic novel - Marjane Satrapi, Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman, are you seeing this?

Image 1 of 20:The artist statement for Mahmoud al Hariri says simply,Deraa is my hometown, where I got my high school diploma. After that, I continued my studies in contemporary art. I have participated in many art exhibits in Syria, as well as Jordan since coming to Za'atari. Hes lived in the camp for 18 months (if you call that living).

Image 1 of 20:The talented Mr. al-Hariri is more animated in person, Drawing is more than just a hobby. Its the method I use to express everything I have in my mind and to spread my message to everyone, regardless of the difference in their languages and beliefs. The former art student is 24 years old.

Image 1 of 20:Al-Hariri works in watercolors (on proper watercolor paper). Saturated pigments and shadowy forms evoke strong emotions. He tells us that painting offers an escape from a real life that is hard to comprehend. Perhaps its appropriate here to paraphrase another great artist, Robin Williams: Reality, what a concept.

Image 1 of 20:As with all his colleagues at the show, Eyad al-Sabagh lived in Deraa before moving to Zaatari. He laughed when asked if they knew each other before the camp, You know, it was a big city - once. Art is a hobby for the 27 year old who is starting his 19th month in the camp.

Image 1 of 20:Hobby? If only we all were as skilled in our hobbies as al-Sabagh is. An excellent draftsman, his carefully rendered pencilworks use color sparingly for knock-out impact. Many of his works are ironic, as in these joyful eyes in a wounded face.

Image 1 of 20:Looking at press photos from the exhibition opening, it became apparent that this artist is unafraid of large scale formats (by the closing ceremony, many of his works had been removed, and we assume sold). What remained on display were brutal depictions of carnage, unlikely to appeal to souvenir hunters and home decorators.

Continued here:
Image 1 of 20:

Neighborly note

The members of Protect Hermosas Future state that their goal is to protect the financial future of Hermosa Beach. On the surface this seems like a very noble goal. We would all love to have a windfall that fixes our streets, our sewers and all the other issues faced by most cities in Southern California. But for me, the nobility of this group and its goal is tarnished because of one inescapable fact. That fact is that for this windfall to occur, quality of life for some of our neighbors will be put at risk. As a group, we will have to choose to put this facility very near to our neighbors homeshomes where they live, play and raise their families.

I would not want an oil pumping station anywhere near my backyard, regardless of the windfall that may result. Even the smallest risk is too much. My quality of life and that of my family is more important. Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, make a decision that would force that risk on others. And I am certain that if the members of PHF were honest with themselves, they would not want that facility in their backyard either. How can they, in good conscience, place that burden on others?

Hey, PHF, lets find a solution to our deteriorating infrastructure that doesnt involve putting our neighbors quality of life at risk?

Rob Blair

Hermosa Beach

Contract stipulations

I have heard some residents questioning the logic of Hermosa Beach and E&B Natural Resources entering into a 35-year contract should the oil ban be lifted. I would suggest that the length of a contract between two parties is determined by capital investment on the part of the applicant, in return for certain guarantees by the property owner. This is not a marriage, and it is not a mortgage, as some have compared it to. It is a business.

With more than $200 million in infrastructure, E&B needs the assurance that they can complete the goals of their project: recovering the expected resources from Hermosas uplands and tidelands. Hermosa Beach needs the assurance that they will, in turn, receive substantial income streams and lucrative benefits over this duration.

Agreements, by definition, involve the needs of both parties. I want to make sure the needs of my city, Hermosa Beach, are in a tough, enforceable contract for the anticipated duration of this project.

Read the original post:
We Get Letters: Beginning Sept. 4

Houston Pressure Washing Houston - Revitalize Restaurant Retail Shopping Center Pressure Washing
Revitalize Pressure Washing in Houston, Texas This is particularly good to see If attracting customers attention, driving revenue, and adding value to your business is important. So stick...

By: Revitalize Pressure Washing

Original post:
Houston Pressure Washing Houston - Revitalize Restaurant & Retail Shopping Center Pressure Washing - Video

Pressure Washing Government Projects
Spray Wash Exterior Cleaning is the North Florida expert when it comes to cleaning governmental facilities. Spray Wash has extensive experience when dealing ...

By: Ray Burke

See the original post:
Pressure Washing Government Projects - Video

29th August, 2014

KOTA KINABALU: Ford on Wednesday welcomed the highly-anticipated arrival of its all-new EcoSport urban SUV, which is set to define the compact sport utility vehicle segment in Sabah.

Based on Fords global B-segment platform that underpins the Ford Fiesta, the all-new EcoSport combines the agility, affordability and fuel efficiency of a compact passenger car with the flexibility, style and driving position of an SUV.

Offering superior fuel economy, easy manoeuvrability and an array of smart features, the EcoSport is just the right vehicle for both city streets and rough roads. It is as comfortable wading through flooded areas as it is entertaining the driver with hands-free music selection and phone calls, while offering passengers outstanding levels of comfort and quiet operation.

The all-new EcoSport is powered by Fords global 1.5-litre twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) four-cylinder petrol engine. Delivering 110 PS of power and peak torque of 142 Nm, the engine is mated to the ultra-efficient six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission with Select Shift to offer fuel efficiency of 15.4km/L and carbon dioxide emissions of 154g/km.

The all-new EcoSport makes driving fun and intuitive with an array of smart features, including Ford SYNC, the voice-activated in-car connectivity system, available in both Mandarin and English for the first time in Malaysia.

The award-winning system enables drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while choosing their favourite music or making phone calls using voice commands.

Other smart and convenient features include follow-me-home lights, Rear Parking Aid with Park Pilot and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror that prevents the driver from being blinded by the headlamps of following cars by detecting glare from lights behind.

The EcoSport Titanium variant also comes with Smart Keyless Entry with Fords Push Start Button, as well as rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and a power slide sunroof.

There are 20 intelligent storage spaces, collectively totaling more than 21-litre capacity, including a cooled glove box that can keep up to six beverage cans cool, a sunglasses holder in an overhead console, a drawer under the front passenger seat that is big enough for a laptop, front door bins that can hold 1.5-litre bottles and 600ml bottles, and rear door bins that hold 600ml bottles.

Original post:
Ford welcomes all-new EcoSport urban SUV to Sabah