5 Easy Steps For Home Water Conservation

February 25th, 2010

Now, more than ever, the need to conserve water is at its most important. We are experiencing more frequent water shortages, and limits in some towns are actually being enforced to help reduce water usage. The planet is getting warmer and is causing climate changes, thus resulting in hotter, drier summers and winters with less rain. Our population is increasing by the second, making the water crisis that much more difficult to deal with. In an effort to conserve water, every little bit helps and our efforts can make a difference. Here are five ways to conserve water in your home:


1. Water your lawn during the early morning hour. Watering between the hours of 4 and 8 a.m. is optimum because there is less wind and the sun is not as hot, which decreases water evaporation. Be sure to water thoroughly, at about 1 to 2 inches, throughout your lawn to promote good root growth and to reduce the amount of watering per week. Watering your lawn at night was initially a good idea, but it is found that it promotes insect activity and growth of fungal bacteria.


2. Do not use water to clean your driveway and sidewalk of any waste and debris. Doing so is extremely wasteful. Use a broom instead and sweep up all of that dirt and dispose of it properly in a grass and trimmings garbage bin.


3. Take shorter showers. If you are taking 30-minute showers, then you can be using up to 75 gallons if you are using one of the newer low flow showerheads. If, however, you are using an older showerhead, that 30-minute shower uses up to 120 gallons! Start cutting back 5 minutes off of your shower time every few days until you are able to get in and out in just 5 to 10 minutes. Your monthly water bill will cost less, and you can use that extra time on more important things, such as sleep!


4. Use your dishwasher only when you can operate it on a full load. To prevent having to put the dishes through another cycle because of food that did not come off the first time, soak your dishes in water and use a light brush to loosen up the food debris first.


5. Check for leaks regularly in your home. That tiny leak in your basement can turn into a huge disaster if left unfixed. It is not uncommon to hear of a pipe completely rupturing and causing a huge flood.

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Basics Steps For Using A Tig Welder

February 25th, 2010

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welder works by a process that uses a tungsten electrode to produce a weld and hence the name. A TIG welder creates an arc between the metal to be joined and the tungsten electrode. The arc creates the weld and protected from the elements by gas being fed to the arc. A TIG weld produces enormous heat and electricity, and the welder must compulsively wear a safety shield particularly to protect the eyes.

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding uses a wire, which dissolves upon the completion of the weld. But TIG welding uses tungsten electrodes that do not burn off or dissolve during the welding process. TIG welding is used with thin layers of stainless steel, aluminum, copper and magnesium alloys.

TIG welding is quite a complex process and demands the use of both the hands during the welding process. The welder must maintain a short arc in order for the weld to be effective.

The ultraviolet light created by the arc could be harmful and the operator must wear protective clothing and gloves, to cover exposed skin. TIG welding, if done unguardedly, can seriously affect your vision and TIG can also burn your hands. You must use thick leather welding gloves, and a welding helmet, and closed-toe shoes. To avoid sunburn, wear a long-sleeved shirt, or still preferably a welding coat. But the rewards of TIG welding are high as TIG weld produces high quality, clean welds.

While doing TIG welding you must be careful not to touch the metal with the electrode. Any contact might as well produce a crater and weaken the weld point. When the arc is struck, a welder will move the metal in a circular motion as it is fed forward, in order to produce the weld. A true blessing for the operator is TIG welds can be made in all positions – flat, horizontal, vertical or even overhead.

Another redeeming feature is TIG welding does not create smoke or fumes, except in rare cases where the base metal being welded contains contaminants such as, oil, grease, paint, lead or zinc. The base metal should be therefore be thoroughly cleaned before TIG welding. Because only the necessary amount of filler metal is added to the welding puddle, TIG weld does not cause spatter or produce any spark.

The operator needs tremendous practice to gain proficiency in TIG welding. Many beginners generally practice TIG welding on waste scrap or discarded pieces to develop mastery.

TIG welders can be used to weld steel, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel alloys, magnesium, copper, brass, bronze, and even gold. TIG welding has many applications and widely used for welding wagons, bike frames, lawn mowers, door handles, fenders, and a host of other items. For doing TIG welding on aluminum, it is recommended to use pure argon. For steel, you can use an argon/carbon dioxide mixture. The gas that is used is important to keep the weld from becoming corroded, as metal will rust.

No TIG welding process is deemed complete till the welder is properly shut down. The prescribed cleaning methods should be followed to remove any particulates that might have accumulated during the welding process.

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3 Steps To Quitting Weed

February 24th, 2010

There are many people in the world that smoke weed on a regular basis. Marijuana has become very popular and recently there have been just as many people looking for a way to quit smoking weed forever. Here are a few tools that you can use when you want to stop smoking weed.

First thing that you have to do when you make the decision to quit weed is be committed. Those who want to quit have to be sure that this is what they want to do and that they will not fall into peer pressure. There have been many people that said they wanted to quit but were not 100% committed to the quitting process. What everyone must understand is that if you are not serious you will fail. You can only succeed if you are committed to the change and only if you want to quit.

The next step that you have to take when you are in the process of quitting is picking an actual quit date. Making the decision to stop smoking weed is difficult but if you give yourself a date when it will begin it will help. Knowing the actual day that you plan to quit is good because you can use the time before that date to prepare yourself for the dramatic lifestyle change. Since smoking weed become such a big part in peoples lives, preparing oneself will help the process. When you decide to stop smoking marijuana you should pick a date within one month of that day. Longer than that will give you too much time and you will not go through with the process.

After you are 100% sure and committed to quitting weed you should then get rid of all of your things related to pot. Pot smokers have tons of things around them that is rated to smoking marijuana like pipes, bongs, papers, scales,etc. Throwing those things away or giving them to someone else will help you in your process. If you keep those things around you can be tempted much easier to falling back into your old ways. When you stop smoking weed you will have cravings for the high that marijuana provides and if you have weed paraphernalia around it will much easier to spark up again.

When you stop smoking weed it will be a difficult thing to get used to but if you follow these three basic steps you can and will be successful. Be committed, pick a quit date and throw out all of your paraphernalia and you can be drug free for good. It will not be easy but it will be well worth the hard work you put into it. Quit smoking weed now and change your life around.

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4 Easy Steps: Growing Tobacco From Seed

February 14th, 2010

Have you ever grown tomatoes or flowers, starting with seeds?  If you have, and had at least a little success, you can grow tobacco plants from seed.  Even if you’ve never started any kind of plant from seeds, you’ll see here that it’s fairly simple, and a complete novice can learn how to do it with very easy instructions.

So let’s get started!  Materials you will need:  Tobacco seeds—check online, many reputable seed dealers offer tobacco seed, in a wide range of varieties; Starter trays and sterile starting mix; general purpose potting soil; 3 or 4 inch plastic flower pots OR cell trays.  All these items should be available at your local garden center, or may be purchased online.

Growing tobacco plants from seed begins indoors.  Even commercial tobacco growers start their plants in greenhouses or large sheds, or they purchase young plants from greenhouses that specialize in growing tobacco plants from seed.

No, you don’t need a greenhouse for the quantities you’ll be growing for your home tobacco garden.  A card table set up in an out-of-the-way corner works great.  If your basement is warm, that could suffice as a plant starter area.  Look around your house for a spot that is not in the way of day-to-day activities.  Short on space in your home?  The top of the refrigerator makes a cozy nursery for your tiny seedlings. 

Seeds should be started indoors about six weeks before the last expected frost for your planting zone.  The ideal temperature for germination is about 75-80 degrees F. 

1. Fill the starter trays with the starting mix.  Tobacco seeds are extremely tiny—about the size of ground pepper, so be careful not to sow too thickly.  Sprinkle seeds lightly on the surface of the seed mix, and then lightly water in.  Do not cover the seeds with soil, as they require light and air to germinate.  Keep soil moist; do not allow it to dry out.  It is best to use a spray bottle and mist from above, or water from below. 

2. Your tobacco plants will begin to germinate in 7-14 days.  The exact time can vary, depending on the temperature and particular variety of tobacco.  I repeat, it is important to keep the soil moist, but not soggy, at all times.  If watering from above, take care not to wash out the seeds, or the tiny seedlings after they germinate.  It’s best to use a mister to keep them damp at this time.

3. About three weeks from the time the plants germinate, they will be ready to transplant into pots or cell trays. If you wait until the largest leaf is near to the size of a dime, you may find they’re easier to handle during the transplanting process.  Fill the pots or cells with general purpose potting soil.  Make a small hole in the center of the soil, and insert the roots of the seedling, then backfill with a little more soil.  After the plants are potted up, water in with a good fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro.  If you are planning to go organic, try a seaweed/fish emulsion or weak manure tea.  This initial fertilizing should be sufficient until it is time to transplant.  If the plants start to appear yellow or stunted, another feeding may be needed.  But if you do so, apply very sparingly, as roots can be easily burned while they are in trays or pots.

4. You can begin preparing the planting beds during this time.  The plants will be ready to transplant to the garden in about another 4-5 weeks.  If you are still experiencing cold weather, the plants should be hardened off for one to two weeks before transplanting outdoors.  This allows the plants to adjust to outdoor conditions.  (If weather is favorable, and plants seem strong and vigorous, this step can probably be skipped.)  Plants should be spaced about two to three feet apart.  If you have enough room, rows should be about 3 ½ -4 feet apart.  Water the plants thoroughly as soon as they are planted.  If  there is no rain, they should be well watered in the evenings for the first 3-4 days, to give them a chance to get established.

As you can see, growing tobacco from seeds, is very simple.  Basically as easy as starting tomatoes, most other vegetables, or even flowers from seed.  You’re on your way to growing your own cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco or chew.  You’ll save a ton of money–possibly thousands of dollars per year.  There is another benefit to growing your own tobacco from seed:  Your own pure, natural tobacco does not contain the additives, chemicals, and residues found in ’store bought’ tobacco products.  Many researchers believe these additives exponentially increase the health risks associated with smoking. 

Kathy Jones is an avid gardener and a smoker.  She is now growing cigarettes in the backyard, and looking forward to saving several thousand dollars next year.  For more information and tips about starting and growing tobacco plants, please visit:  <A rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”Home”>http://www.squidoo.com/howtogrowtobacco”>Home Growing Tobacco</a> 
For some really frightening information check out <A rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”What”>http://www.squidoo.com/whatsinacigarette”>What’s In A Cigarette, Anyway?</a> <P> <P> <P>

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3 Steps to Help You Stop Being Addicted to Marijuana

February 11th, 2010

Are you addicted to marijuana? You probably didn’t think so until you decided or were told you had to quit but weren’t very successful at stopping your pot smoking habit on your own. You need help! Being addicted to marijuana is not only illegal because it is a drug but that it also has negative effects on your social and family life. Fortunately, there are many programs and tips that are available to you if you are serious about kicking your weed addiction.

Mental Preparation

The first thing you need to do is prepare yourself mentally for this journey. How your prepare yourself mentally is going to be one of determining factors of successfully you can stop being addicted to marijuana.

You are going to have to mentally prepare for all of the mental and physical signs an symptoms you will have to deal with while trying to quit. You are going to encounter symptoms of withdrawal that you are going to have to deal with. These could be minor or strong depending on how strong your addiction to marijuana is.

You are also going to have to deal with cravings. You need to mental prepare for situations and how you are going to handle any cravings that will arise from your quitting. What are you going to replace these cravings with? Are you going to exercise, eat, sew, read, or anything that keeps your mind off of the cravings. Having yourself mentally prepared to deal with all of the emotional effects of quitting is going to make you just that much more successful when trying to quit.

Make a “Stop Smoking Plan”

Isn’t there a famous quote, “Without a plan you cannot succeed”? This is true if you are trying to stop being addicted to marijuana. You will need a plan. You need to sit down and plan everything out. Make a list of things that you know you need to do and of things you know are going to happen. Then use this list to come up with ideas and strategies for handling these different things or situations on your list. It is important for you to know how you are going to handle certain things when they arise or you might slip and fall back into some unhealthy habits. You plan is what is going to lead you to success in your fight against your battle with weed.

Social Influences

The number one reason many people fail at try to quit smoking pot is they do not have the support from their friends. The reason behind this is many of their friends are users also, so they try to influence them to not quit and keep smoking weed. This is one of the toughest areas to correct when trying to stop being addicted to marijuana. The reason is you risk losing your current friend and family. The only way to stop smoking pot and clean yourself up is to surround yourself with people who support you and do not use the drug. You might have to make very difficult decisions on avoiding your friends and family members that smoking or you might even have to make an even more difficult decision of complete cutting off contact with them until the clean themselves up so you don’t relapse back into smoking pot again.

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