There were 4 million household burglaries in the United States, nearly 500,000 resulted in bodily injury, and 20,000 resulted in homicides, frightening statistics. Additional statistics reveal that a home without a security system is three times as likely to be burglarized as compared to one which is equipped with a security system. These facts make it obvious that a home security system will reduce your chances of intrusion, and can protect your life and property. It is therefore necessary to conduct an extensive home security review, to determine the appropriate systems necessary to secure the safety of yourself, and home.
Several points should be kept in mind while conducting a home security review. Security needs should be a first consideration. While it may be obvious that you should be the best judge of security requirements, a security expert has the experience to evaluate your home for vulnerabilities that are not obvious to a layperson. After a full examination of your home, a security specialist will be able to make note of all soft spots, and suggest the kind of equipment necessary to strengthen these soft spots.
The next consideration is security monitoring. Security monitoring can be a sophisticated central monitoring service, or a simple home security system, cost and needs are the determining factors. The central monitoring services are ideal because they ensure that appropriate measures are taken whenever an intrusion is detected. A monitoring team that works from a central station verifies every suspicious activity the moment it receives an alert. While an ideal deterrent, this type of monitoring is relatively expensive, and subject to the experience and professionalism of the company. You must find out if the central monitoring station is certified by Underwriters Laboratory; that it has a power back up system that can run for 10 to 15 hours; that it is run by trained staff; that it alerts local authorities within seconds of receiving a security alert.
Less costly is a simple home security system consisting of a control panel, a couple of magnetic switches, a motion sensor or two, and an alarm device. This can be hard wired or wireless. The more advanced systems feature a video camera that can be monitored by family members. The biggest advantage of this system is that it scares away potential intruders. This may happen when an intruder sees a yard sign, a decal sign or any of the installed sensors or video cameras. There is a one-time installation charge, with no recurring expenses.
While there are no guarantees, any home security system could scare away potential intruders. Any type of prevention will go along way to reduce the likelihood of a break in, or home assault by a stranger. Remember, the main objective of any home security system is to provide a safe environment for family members, and to limit the loss of property.
About The Author
Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Best Home Security Companies. Visit http://home-security-usa.com/ for more information.
Keeping your holiday hair style under control isn’t just about keeping your expensive up-do from falling down while you’re dancing. It’s about healthy-looking hair during those wet, hot, and sticky months of summer, whether at home or on vacation.
Those who live in areas where the sun and humidity get downright unbearable during the summer know how difficult it is to keep their hair looking good. But if you aren’t familiar with the potentially damaging effects of humidity, salt water, sand, chlorine, wind and dry air, you might not know how to properly care for your holiday hair.
It’s easy to breathe new life into it by following a few simple summertime tips.
Hair that’s full of split ends looks bad so the first thing you should do even before the summer months set in is give your hair a good trim to remove those damaged ends or try a new hair style. Hair looks instantly better after it’s been cut.
If you plan to color your hair, remember that chemically treated hair is more vulnerable to environmental conditions such as sun, water and humidity. Plan your hair coloring three weeks before your trip so your hair has time to regain its natural balance and is more resistance to damage.
Another thing you can do is ask your stylist for a deep conditioning treatment prior to your vacation. This will help to smooth the hair, repair damage and make the whole hair structure stronger.
Depending on your destination climate, you might also need to bring a surface conditioner with moisturizing qualities for hot, dry weather or frizz control cream for a humid climate. Unlike deep conditioners, these products coat your hair with a protective layer while adding gloss and making your style more manageable.
It just wouldn’t be a summer vacation without time in the water. Although swimming and other water activities are a lot of fun, they can wreak havoc on your holiday hair. Whether you’re swimming in the sea or at the hotel pool, always rinse the sea salt and chlorine out of your hair with plenty of fresh water.
Chlorine dries out the hair, making it brittle. It also fades the color and with some hair colors, can turn hair an unsightly shade of green. It’s not the chlorine that turns your hair green but the presence of heavy metals like copper. The chlorine initiates the process by damaging the hair cuticle, which allows these metals to enter the inner structure of hair.
It also wouldn’t be a summer vacation without spending as much time as possible in the sun. We know how damaging the sun’s UV rays are to our skin, but these rays also damage the hair’s structure. They break down the keratin which results in dry hair that breaks easily. So look for hair care products that contain UV protection and use them as directed to help your holiday hair style look as healthy as your holiday tan.
Lots of people with fine hair apply too much anti-frizz serum to their scalp and hair, which makes it look greasy and weighed down. Instead, apply a light conditioner beginning at the middle of the hair strand and continuing down to the ends. Then finish your hair style with anti-frizz serum applied only to the ends to seal off the tips so water can’t enter the hair shaft.
When you’re packing your suitcase, be sure you include a mild shampoo, a mild conditioner, an anti-frizz serum (especially if you have naturally curly hair), and hair spray for those times when your holiday hair needs extra hold. And check to make sure all these products contain UV protection. Just remember: using UV products doesn’t mean you can stay out in the sun indefinitely. Your hair and scalp can be damaged if exposed to too much sun so don’t forget to bring a sun hat.
Nancy Faizabadi is a professional hair stylist and the founder of http://www.short-hair-style.com where you can find free tips on short hair style and color ideas, hair color trends, hair products and much more. Whether your hair is fine, thick, curly, straight, processed, colored or in need of a new style, short-hair-style.com has a section for you.
Written by admin · Filed Under Beauty
Direct Answers - Column for the week of August 4, 2003
I dated a woman I work with for four years. In both our minds we were soul mates. A year and a half ago she broke it off. I never found out the real reasons.
After we broke up she would still tell me she loved me and we were soul mates. Of course at the same time she was dating another man, a married man. But it’s worse than that. In college this guy stalked her–her words, not mine. Now, of course, she’ll claim he was “just observing me.”
She is still dating him. He is still married. He lives a few hours drive away so it’s easy for him to hide the fact he hasn’t filed divorce papers yet. In fact, I know he and his wife just refinanced their house, yet my girlfriend is convinced he’ll marry her one day.
But wait, there’s more. To this day she asks me to lunch every day, calls me “babe,” touches me affectionately, and talks about vacations together. When I’m on travel, she calls once or twice a day. At her request, we’re seeing a therapist to resolve our trust issues, but not to reconcile.
It’s difficult to say my hands are clean here, but I am truly concerned. Everything I’ve read suggests there is nothing but pain and heartache down the road for her, and I’ve worked hard to change my shortcomings through therapy, reading, and action.
If things were right, I would like to begin anew with her. I’ve tried the approach of moving on and seeing other women. She knows enough to be jealous of these women, but it has no effect. How do I approach it without blowing my chances?
Dieter
Dieter, a few years ago when we were guests on a radio call-in show in Los Angeles, a man called and asked what to do about his soul mate. He knew she was having an affair, he said, because he had hired a private detective who found the evidence.
If what you and that man have is a soul mate, what do you call a couple who love each other to the exclusion of all others?
What you really have is a woman who finds some benefit in letting you fantasize about her while she tries to land another man. You are not ready to accept our answer, but what you have is more like an addiction.
The only cure for an addiction is to remove yourself from both the substance you are addicted to and the environment in which your addiction flourishes.
Wayne & Tamara
Parenthood
Recently my wife announced it was time for us to “make a decision about having a baby.” This announcement blind-sided me, because I have always been perfectly clear on this matter. I only want kids if they are sautéed correctly.
All my friends and all my relatives know my aversion to children. The reasons behind my feelings are varied, but this has never been a gray area for me. My wife, on the other hand, says that “my future involves having a family,” implying in no uncertain terms that she is going to have children with or without me.
This seems to be an irreconcilable situation. What are your thoughts?
Chad
Chad, not everyone makes a good parent. People like you, who recognize this early on, shouldn’t have children. You made it perfectly clear before the wedding, and you thought she accepted this fact.
Your wife has a right to have children, but not with a man she knew never wanted to be a parent. Your dark humor expresses the seriousness of your convictions. Since you know you do not want children, it is your responsibility to make sure you don’t father a child.
Your wife is right that it is time to make a decision, but the issue is your future together.
Wayne & Tamara
About The Author
Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.
Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
For several years now, I’ve told the following story as a keynote presentation when I do speaking engagements:
When our oldest son was a toddler and teething heavily, he woke up one morning at 4 screaming and crying. My wife nudged me as a reminder that it was my turn to get up with him.
All the regular attempts to get him back to sleep did not work, so I decided to take him for a drive, which had been working for about a month or so. The problem was I was wearing only a T-shirt and underwear. My ID and pants were in the bedroom where Lauren had already gone back to sleep.
If I learned anything in that first year of parenthood, it was: Never wake a sleeping baby, and more important, never, ever wake a sleeping mom.
So, in my early-morning logic, I thought no one would see us. Driving around to get him to sleep did not work that night. To make a long story short, I got pulled over for speeding.
The officer asked to see my license and registration. I told him I’d really like to show them to him, but they were at home.
That led to the dreaded question/demand:
“Would you please step out of the car, sir?”
Looking down, I admitted I had a problem with that. He leaned over to see two skinny, pale legs sticking out of a T-shirt emblazoned with: Tallahassee Men of Integrity.
He then asked if I was naked. I replied that I was wearing underwear and would be happy to show him if necessary.
He never cracked a smile.
He walked back to his car and called in my tag number to confirm that I was who I said I was. He returned and ran down the list of many violations he could charge me with, but he settled on a ticket for driving without proof of license and insurance.
His parting parenting advice:
“Next time, sir, be sure to wear your pants.”
I can lift three principles for living from this story, all of which have to do with our choices.
1) Our choices have consequences.
My only intention that night was to get my crying kid to sleep. But a series of choices led me to a result I had not intended or expected. I was responsible for the outcome of my choices, regardless of what I had intended.
2) Every time we go out into the world, we are representing ourselves, our family, sometimes our job or profession.
Like my grandmother used to say, “Remember who you are.” I used to think she meant something about Alzheimer’s, but now I realize she was encouraging me to make choices that would represent me well.
3) We all have a story to tell, both during our lives and at the end of our lives.
Will your story be one that is worth modeling and admiring, or will it be a cautionary tale, one to avoid copying?
If you do not like the story you are telling, it’s never too late to change direction. Just don’t let the learning from your own experiences take too long.
If you have been doing it wrong for the last 10 years, I suggest that’s long enough. Our choices become our habits; our habits become our character; our character becomes our story and destiny.
Life is full of choices. Good stories or bad stories are optional. Choose wisely.
And wear your pants.
Visit ParentingYourTeenager.com for more leading edge tips and tools from parenting coach Jeff Herring.
Paying Referral Fees to Designers as a Creative Subcontractor - Should You Do It?
by: Kirstin Carey
Kirstin,
I am a faux finisher and I do some murals, too. When my clients ask me for referrals for designers, I give them names of people whom I think can help them. Should I let the designer know that I referred them?
- Arlene, Baltimore, MD
Arlene,
Not only should you let the designer know you referred someone to her, you should also ask for a referral fee or a percentage of the contract if she gets the client.
In the creative industry it is somehow “standard” for designers to get a percentage of contracts for murals, faux finishes, and other artistic work, but somehow it is not standard for the reverse. He who has the client’s trust is the one who holds all the power. Should you be the one who the client trusts enough to ask for a referral, you should be rewarded for giving that referral.
If someone refuses to pay a referral fee or percentage for work you handed to them, then work with other designers or vendors. There are plenty of people out there who understand the value of a “hot referral” and are thrilled to reward people for them.
We all know how difficult and costly it is to get a new client and how much time and effort is spent on marketing and selling. If someone hands you a “hot referral” that leads you right to new business, you should reward that person with a check. Don’t see it as a loss of income, see it as a gain in new business. Without the referral, you wouldn’t have had the business. Most successful businesses - in every industry at every level - make a portion of their revenue from money paid to them for referrals, and you should, too.
-Kirstin
kcarey@mycreativebiz.com
One of the basic issues we need to understand is that parents and teens view school very differently. This is important because often we believe that our kids look at school the same way we do.
In many cases, nothing could be further from the truth.
For parents, we work and want to do well in our jobs. So we think because our kids don’t work full time or at all, then school is their full-time job, and they should want to excel.
For teens, as well as many younger kids, school is their social world interrupted by six to seven classes a day.
This different view is the cause for many dinner-table squabbles.
Every now and then, as parents describe the problems with grades, they will say, “We got a D in that class.”
I’ve thought of many responses to that statement, most of which I don’t share. What I do say is, “Excuse me, who is this we? Do you go to class or does your child?”
The point is that at some time - the earlier the better - school must become more important to your child than it is to you.
Having laid out these two basic principles, let’s look at some solutions for handling a less than exciting report card.
1) You’ll want to meet with the teacher of a class in which your child has done poorly. You should ask the teacher: What he thinks might be in the way of your child doing well in this subject; does she think your child has the tools to do well in this class; how are other kids of equal ability doing in this class; what does he recommend your child (notice, not we) do to improve in this class?
2) Learn how to read a report card. There is much more information there than just grades. There’s also conduct and attendance to check out. Look for patterns. If your kid got a good grade and great conduct in one class and poor grades and bad conduct in another, take a look at what the differences are between those two classes. Obviously, the child has the ability in one class. What’s in the way in the other?
3) Often kids will blame the teacher. “She doesn’t like me!” This is an opportunity to teach real-world living in which not all people, bosses included, are going to like you. At the same time, you still need to know how to do well in a situation, even when there are people who don’t like you.
4) Here’s a little trick of the trade: Determine which class comes right before your child’s lunch period. If grades, attendance and conduct are significantly different after lunch than before, the next question is what’s happening at lunch that is getting in the way?
5) Make two copies of your child’s report card _ one for you and one for your child. Draw a horizontal line to the right of each letter grade. Next to the end of that line, write the next letter grade up. For example, if the grade is an F, write a D. If it’s a D, write a C, and so on. These one-step-up grades are the goals for the next grading period.
This may sound like settling for less, but it really is not. It gives your child a manageable goal to reach. Over a couple of grading periods, this strategy can move low grades to high grades. If they go higher than the goal, then that’s a good thing. If they go lower than the goal, it’s time for some consequences.
6) It’s been my experience that grounding a kid for the entire grading period is in most cases counterproductive. For adults, nine weeks is not that long. For kids, however, it’s forever, and you get rapidly diminishing returns.
Instead, start with strong consequences, and then as effort, behavior and grades improve, let the rope out a little at a time, just enough for them to grow themselves.
It’s also useful to link grades to something that is important to them. As one father said to me last year, “In our family, Ds don’t drive.”
For more leading edge tips and tools for back to school success, you are invited to visit parenting coach Jeff Herring’s BacktoSchoolSuccess.com
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