April 24th
was my late father’s birthday date. He
passed away in January 2012. In memory of my father, allow me to share again
two of his portraits that captured in 2011.
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| Taken one morning when he was hospitalized. |
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| Waiting for the flight. |
Apr 24, 2015
Dealing with Extreme Heat in Your Workplace
We spend a lot of our time in our
workplace. Perhaps more than half of the time we are awake are spent in our
workplace instead of our homes. This is why it is important for employers to
make their workplaces more comfortable for their employees. Without a
comfortable workplace, it would be difficult for individuals to concentrate and
be productive if the workplace isn’t as comfortable as it should be.
However,
there are some workplaces in the country wherein employees are known to sweat
through their day. Some of these employees work as welders, chefs, road crews
and factory workers. Unlike those who work in offices, these individuals have
to suffer hot and humid working conditions just so they can proceed with doing
their job.
What
they don’t know is that if they continue working in such environments, they
could be putting their health at risk. Among the commonly associated diseases
for humid workplaces include heat stroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and
prickly heat. Extreme heat can even lead to brain damage or even death. Because
of this, there is a high risk for injury in workplaces such as these. Unless it
is taken care of by the employer, the risk for such injuries can pose a huge
threat to individuals that work in these environments.
How the Body Reacts
to Extreme Heat
Despite what the surrounding temperature
is, the body does its best to maintain its normal internal temperature 37C. The
comfortable working environment is 22.77C. But it could even go as low as
12.77C if the work requires much labor. When this happens, the body’s natural
reaction is to try to increase the internal temperature. What it does is
increase the pulse rate, which ends up straining the heart. Once this happens
regularly and is left untreated it could lead to a heat stroke and could be
life-threatening. This is why it is really important to improve workplace
conditions so employees could work better and could be free from certain
diseases.
Tip for Employers
If you are an employer, it is really
important that you be careful about the working environment of your employees.
Especially if they work in an environment where hard labor is necessary, you
have to do your part and provide them the right ventilation so they can do
their job much better. Apart from helping them avoid certain heat-related
diseases, this could also help you show them that you value the work they do
for your company. In return, your business will benefit from this a lot since
your employees will be more productive. With enough cooling system and ventilation,
your employees can concentrate more on their work instead of the heat that they
are encountering.
When you put up your establishment, you
need to work with a professional to help you install the right cooling and
ventilation system that best fits in your workplace. Even though this could
cost you some money, it would still be a very beneficial step that you invest
in. Otherwise, you might be involved in lawsuits about not providing your
employees enough air or ventilation in their workplace.
Investing in the right air-cooling system
can be a big help for your business. Not only are you able to prevent
heat-related diseases for your employees, you also get to help them focus on
what they need to do. While you may be spending some money on such costs, you
will benefit from it in the long run.
Apart from making your workplace a
comfortable, you can also help certain particles from thriving in the heat
temperature. This is particularly true if you are in the food business. By
having the right air-cooling system installed in your establishment, you can
improve the quality of your food so that it can be best for your customers.
Nowadays, there are plenty of air-cooling
systems that you can use for your workplace. Some of your options include air
conditioners, mobile evaporate coolers, and evaporative coolers. You will need
to determine which of these options is best for your workplace size and number
of employees that work together at a given time. By identifying these things,
you’ll be able to ensure that all your employees will get the right amount of
cool air whenever they are working inside your workplace. At the same time,
this helps ensure that your workplace is fully covered with your air-cooling needs.
If
you are still hesitant about why you should invest in the right air-cooling
system for your workplace, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your
employees. Would you last a full day working in a company that does not
appreciate your hard work by providing you with the cool temperature you need?
Think about that so you know just what to do.
Written by APM Construction Services, a construction
and home maintenance company that is the best choice for heating and cooling Columbia MO has to offer.
Apr 23, 2015
Eco-Friendly Landscape Design is the Way to Go
Everyone
wants their landscape design to be beautiful and the cynosure of all eyes but
at the same time more and more people are taking the environment into
consideration. With water restrictions being imposed most people want their
landscape to be eco-friendly. The eco-friendly landscape requires a lot less
water than the traditional landscape which needs a lot of water for maintaining
it.
The
landscaping standards for eco-friendly landscape design stay the same as the
traditional ones. These designs also require being consistent and it needs to
harmoniously blend with the theme. There needs to be unity in the design.
Similarly there needs to be a balance, too much unity can upset the whole
design. The design needs to appeal to the eyes and this visual attraction can
be created with symmetrical or asymmetrical designs. Also there should be
emphasis in the design. For example, having a fountain at the centre of your
landscape will ensure that all eyes turn there or you can have a wheel as your
centre point from where your design originates. You can then create depth in
the design by creating a transition with plants and shrubs etc. There should
also be a rhythm to the design; there should be a proper flow of colours,
forms, textures and the like. The most important point is simplicity, whatever
the design it should be simple but create a profound effect on the viewer.
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image:parkslopedesign.net
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Using the
landscaping standards mentioned above many people are creating eco-friendly
landscapes by making use of eco-friendly vegetable gardens, planting trees that
bear fruits or plants that require less or negligible water. A term – edible
landscaping - has been coined for this type of eco-friendly landscaping. All
the food that grows in this landscape can be used for cooking. The landscape
not only looks good, you get a lot out of it too.
Desert
landscaping is another eco-friendly landscape design. Plants, flowers and trees
that are found in the desert is used in this design. These plants and trees
require very little water but they will add beauty to the design. Instead of
grass, abundant use of sand is used in this design. There are many plants and
trees that are native to the region, incorporating such plants and trees to the
landscape will not only make it beautiful, it will be eco-friendly too.
Hire a
professional landscape design company to look into your landscaping requirements.
Your landscape designer will provide you with a lot of eco-friendly ideas which
are also sustainable in the region.
Author
Bio: James
is a landscape designer with vast experience, to know more please visit http://www.parkslopedesign.net - 1158
26th Street, Suite 295, Santa Monica, CA 90403, Phone: 818.481.0883.
Apr 22, 2015
Home Improvement Ideas for Any Part of Your Home
Anyone
who’s a homeowner knows how important it is to make their home look great at
all times. Especially if they are the type who frequently has guests come over,
having a beautiful and well-organized home can truly make a lot of change.
Unfortunately, changing and improving
your home can cost a lot of money. Most of the time this is money that
individuals don’t really want to spend on home improvement. For this reason,
many tend to delay the project and focus on more important things they need to
take care of. If this is something you can relate to, it’s really what you have
to do to make ends meet. When you’re strapped for cash, there’s really very
little home improvement you can do that can fit into your budget. That is why
common home improvement projects don’t really take place right away. Some are
even put off for an indefinite period and are forgotten over time.
If you are in desperate need of
changing some areas of your home but you’re strapped for cash, there’s still
something you can do. Without spending a lot of money, you can easily change
the look of your home and make it feel new. You won’t need to spend a lot on
these home improvement projects—all you need is time and lots of patience.
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image:mikewolfeconstruction.com
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Here
are some home improvement projects you can work on in different areas of your
home:
Your Kitchen
If
you’re thinking about improving the look of your kitchen, there’s an easy and
affordable way you can do that. All you have to do is repaint your kitchen
cabinets. This is the easiest way you can change the look of your kitchen and
make it feel new. Overtime, the paint on your kitchen cabinets dull out and
become lifeless. This can produce a gloomy effect on your kitchen. All you have
to do is decide on what the color of your new kitchen cabinets will be. By
putting on a bright, crisp coat of new paint on your cabinets it can
drastically change the look and feel of your kitchen. The room will appear
larger and feel better because of the fresh paint that you have put over the
cabinets.
Another
change you can make in your kitchen is to your cabinet hardware. You can easily
change the knobs and handles of your cabinet so that you can get rid of the
worn out cabinet hardware you’ve had for years. Together with the fresh paint,
your kitchen will have a newly remodeled look that doesn’t cost you a lot of
money.
Your Exterior Paint
If
you are hoping to change the look of your home from the outside, you can do so
with a fresh coat of paint. With this, you’ll be able to give your home a new
cleaner look to it. Your home will appear more inviting to your visitors. At
the same time, it is a very inexpensive project that you can easily do on your
property. You may even hire someone else to do this for you or do it on your
own.
Your Floors
If
you have carpet flooring in your home, you can change it. As a matter of fact,
this is something you need to do regularly. This is because when you have an
old, worn out carpet on your floor, it will make your home look dirty and
dungy. At the same time, it can be thin and hard; which beats the purpose of
having a carpet in the first place. You can install a new carpet so that it
will produce a soft feel to your feet. Also, it will look better on your
floors. If you’re on a limited budget, you can invest in an inexpensive carpet.
Your Bathroom Faucets
Another
change you can do in your home that doesn’t cost a lot of money is to change
your faucets in the kitchen and bathroom sinks. This is because over time, old
faucets become dull and worn out. When you replace them with a new faucet, your
sink will look new and feel like it as well. While this isn’t a really
expensive project, you can opt to hire a plumber to help you install your new
faucet or do it on your own.
Your Driveway
Make
sure to regularly clean your concrete driveway so that your home retains its
beautiful appeal. Over some period, your concrete driveway tends to get dirty
and look ugly. If you want to clean this at an inexpensive cost, all you have
to do is rent a pressure washer so you can wash your driveway. This simple task
can make your concrete look like it was replaced when in honesty it was just
washed.
The
above-mentioned home improvement projects are just some tips to help you make
your home look better without costing you a lot of money.
Written by Mike Wolfe of Mike Wolfe
Construction. Mike and his crew offer the best service for home improvement Columbia, MO has to
offer!
