Home Improvement Tips That Will Save Energy

Are you trying to save money? These home improvement tips will help you save money by saving energy at home. Make your home more energy efficient and you can lower your energy bill.

Improve The Energy Efficiency of Your Windows

The right windows can significantly improve the energy savings of your home. When shopping for new windows, look for low E coating and an Energy Star rating. Double panes and energy efficient material mean more energy savings. Once you’ve chosen the right windows for your home and climate, make sure they are installed properly in order to maximize their energy efficiency.

You may not need, or be able to afford, new windows. You may just need to improve your current ones. Window treatments like window tinting, solar screens, blinds, curtains and shutters will increase energy efficiency by keeping out unwanted cold and heat. Note: window treatments on the outside of the window will be more effective because they will keep the cold and heat from ever entering your home in the first place.

Try Solar

Solar energy won’t use any electricity so it won’t effect the energy bill. It’s free and environmentally friendly. If you live anywhere that gets any sun, you can use solar. If you live somewhere really sunny, you might be able to use solar all the time. If not, using solar part of the time will still save energy and money.

Solar works great for outdoor lighting. Solar decorative lights and security lighting are fairly inexpensive and easy to maintain. Solar is also popular for home heating and for heating outdoor swimming pools.

Get A New Roof

This is a big home improvement project! A good roof is crucial for home energy efficiency and safety. The actual roof itself, of course, is important but so is the company you choose to install it. Ask lots of questions, get quotes from at least three different companies and get everything in writing!

Look for an Energy Star rating, a material that is appropriate for your home and climate and definitely look into any financial incentives such as rebates or tax incentives. Check eligibility carefully before you start on a new roof to make sure you don’t miss anything. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your contractor and accountant.

For more home improvement tips that will save you energy and money, visit www.MakeYourHomeEnergyEfficient.com You’ll find projects for every budget, including easy, free ways to save.

Help With Depression – Is Mental Health Still the Elephant in the Room

Today, more and more people seem to be talking about psychology, therapy and mental health.

This year the media has been extra generous in its portrayal of mental health issues. We’ve had multiple soap opera plot lines and docudramas detailing the life of the rich and bipolar as well as a vast array of celebrity ‘meltdowns’. The lay man is enjoying an informed tour of mental health issues, from the comfort of his front room. Or is he?

Everyone can experience mental ill health- from the famed, to the less than famed; and if it’s on the TV it must be ok. As the adverts would have us believe, that elephant in the room has been well and truly exposed, with famous faces around the world admitting to a mental health issue or confessing to using medication for said difficulty.

With all this in hand, one might guess that a girl about town of today’s world would be more comfortable than ever before in sharing her own challenges. After all, Ms Wax does it, and makes many thousands at the West End doing so. So what does the research say on this?

As you reflect on these changes in media coverage over the last 18 months, you may find yourself not so pleasantly surprised to learn that according to research from campaigners at platform 51; A 3rd of women take anti-depressants in their life. Of those, a quarter take them for 10 years or more. And most worrying, 18% keep it a secret from their families. 1 in ten wouldn’t even tell a partner.

Alternatively, I noticed that niche holistic approaches to mental health were increasing viewed as more acceptable. Twining’s are even using the wellbeing concept as a marketing tool- to sell teabags! *After all it does seem more du jour to see an executive coach as opposed to a psychologist. And once you’re in in the healthcare system, it’s more acceptable to have a psychologist, than a psychiatrist. What is the perceived difference in this varying terminology, and why do treatments involving medications still have this stigma attached despite being so routinely prescribed?

Why is it that young women are reluctant to discuss the use of such medication for mental health difficulties? After all, sales of anti-depressants went up 45% over the last 4 years. That’s 23 million prescriptions for anti-depressants a year.

Today’s culture is increasingly driven by ambition and achievement; admitting to feeling low, stressed or anxious is just not a desirable option. One might be forgiven for concluding that it is socially acceptable for a celebrity to have a public breakdown or an overdose; But for the average woman of the world, to admit your finding life a bit stressful or god forbid admit that you just aren’t coping-is just too much social pressure to bear.

A recent survey polled by the depression alliance suggests that women often report feeling ashamed to discuss mental health concerns with friends and family for fear of being judged, misunderstood or Labelled. It has been reported that young people in today’s achievement oriented society can often feel a sense of failure, upon receiving anti-depressants; almost a last resort scenario when one cannot think of another way. And sometimes it is. But a last resort is still a choice and that in turn requires that one exercise initiative also.

People don’t like to appear weak or inadequate. Seeking help and admitting that they are not feeling good can often be a real struggle as it interferes with one of our deepest fears – of taking up residence in… The out group! Accompanying this fear, is the common misconception that once you’ve moved into the ‘out group’, and experienced a mental health difficulty, you will have it/live there forever. This is a massive misconception that many mental health organisations have been campaigning to change.

Over the last ten years, I have been involved in a community project With Leading Mental Health Organisation Mind, and their talking therapies programme. We explore and promote the idea of mental wellbeing as belonging on a continuum. Where one might find themselves high or low or anywhere in-between. We have peaks and troughs, and the key here is-this is normal!

Our places on this scale can move up and down and round and round as often as you change your socks. After bereavement you may find yourself at a low ebb, near the lower end. Will you live there, at the lower end of wellbeing forever? No. probably not!

You may experience a great achievement and find yourself glowing at the highest heights- elated even. Will you be in a state of elation forever- probably not? The same concept applies to mental health issues. Diagnosis or no diagnosis.

Despite all the support and campaigning from organisations like MIND, RETHINK and TIME TO CHANGE It is surprisingly hard to be open about these things. Mental health disclosure takes on a more serious consequence when one explores the workplace: Medical records, insurance and selection criteria. But that kettle can wait for another day.

While some research suggests that women may hide their use of antidepressants in an effort to maintain positive self-concept and appearance both to themselves and to others. It is this very seeking of help that is an adaptive and indeed resilient behaviour. A courage which can only denote a strength of character present in one who is unwilling to settle for feeling less great- then they know they can feel, and deserve to feel.

So, let’s each consider our own beliefs around mental health issues and the social stigma surrounding it! Mental health in our own personal real lives, the lives of our clients, the lives of our nearest and dearest and the lives of celebrities and those portrayed in the media – where is the heart of this stigma lying? Are collective attitudes towards ill mental health changing in line with their media presentation? – I’m not so sure, but every little helps right!

I recently watched an old black and white movie in which the leading lady flashed a little ankle and promptly pecked her dashing date on the cheek. A total shocker! She ran away bashful and shy with all those who saw tutting at her promiscuous and socially unkempt dallying.

Our attitudes and acceptance of new ways of behaving do and have changed with the passing of time. What was once a Rare, Risque1920’s ankle flash has now become a plethora of raunchy music videos.

I think there may be hope for the subject of Ill Mental health yet.

Gift Giving Necessities That Surround A Wedding

Are weddings really about getting married anymore? Maybe the actual marriage is important to the bride and groom, but it seems like weddings in the 21st century are becoming more and more focused on gifts.

When people travel from out of town to attend a wedding, it’s common to leave a gift basket in their hotel rooms – filled with goodies. When a person throws a bridal shower, not only must the attendees bring gifts, but it’s also common for the bride-to-be to give the host a “thank you” gift. Bridesmaids and groomsmen have grown accustomed to receiving “bridal party” gifts before the wedding. The bride and groom normally give each other wedding-day gifts. The parents of the bride and groom often give each other gifts. All guests are normally given small gifts to accompany their place cards at their tables. And, of course, all of the guests must purchase wedding gifts for the bride and groom. The list of gift giving necessities that surround a wedding goes on and on. Gift giving is practically endless!

With so many gift giving opportunities before, during and after a wedding, it’s not uncommon for people to run out of gift ideas. Normally, a bride and groom will register for gifts they’d like to receive for their showers and the actual wedding. But, there are many people who do not believe in the concept of registering for gifts, and they always seem to purchase gifts that the bride and groom will probably never use. (All married couples have a stash of unwanted wedding gifts sitting in their basements, closets, garages, or crawl spaces.)

A good alternative for wedding guests who do not wish to purchase gifts off a bridal registry are wedding gift baskets. These types of baskets are often filled with a very creative assortment of items – including foods and wines – which will definitely not end up in the “unwanted gifts” pile.

Great gift basket ideas for out-of-town guests who will stay in a hotel during their visit is something that captures a bit of the city where the wedding will take place. For example, guests to a wedding in Georgia may enjoy a gift basket filled with Georgia peaches and guests to a wedding in Colorado may enjoy a gift basket that includes authentic Rocky Mountain Chocolate.

The beauty of giving gift baskets to a bride and groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, wedding guests, out-of-town visitors, shower hosts, mothers of the bride and groom and fathers of the bride and groom is that they can be purchased with minimal effort in a pre-packaged form (most gift basket companies offer this), or they can be completely personalized to include special items that the gift basket recipient(s) are sure to love.

Remember, gift baskets are always a good alternative for wedding guests to purchase for the bride and groom. The newlyweds will appreciate a gift basket that was assembled with care and thoughtfulness.

Basketball Arcade Games

When arcade games gained popularity in the 1970s, they were the traditional type like the first pinball games, Pac-Mac, Pong, and Space Invaders. However, over time, the creators of these games realized they had to innovate and improve constantly to retain the attention of their players. This led to them diversifying into games like the High Impact Football game series. This was a completely new format for arcade games. However, these games did not do as well as their ancestors. Perhaps players took time to adjust to them.

It was not until the release of basketball arcade games that this type of game really caught on. The first that really took the arcade games by storm was NBA Jam. This genre got noticed immediately with its release and became popular worldwide.

NBA Jam was unique in a lot of ways. First of all it was more expensive than the other games, where finishing a game required no less than $2. It was also the very first game that used real teams, real players with their real names, with the digitized version of these players playing the game on screen.

Playing the game was akin to watching a game on TV, only better, since here the game players could make control every move of their favourite basketball players. More so, one could defy gravity to make them do what a player wanted them to do. This has been one of the criticisms of the game, that it featured unrealistic effects, with the players flying as much as their heights to score a point. Fans of the game however maintained, that this was actually a great high.

However, the game continued to climb on the popularity charts and featured basketball greats of their times like Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Colbert Cheaney, Jeff Hornacek, David Robinson, Charles Oakley among others. After a time people discovered other features of the game like Easter eggs and other special features to be activated by use of buttons and joysticks.

The game saw many sequels and spin-offs, including the NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, NBA Jam Extreme of 1996 and even a 3D version of the game featuring a commentary. The other games in the line were NBA Hangtime and NBA Hangtime Extreme. A college version of the game, called College Slam was also introduced in 1995.

The huge success of basketball games also gave rise to other sports games, which centred on games like football and baseball.