To be Energy-Efficient - Buy Energy-Efficient

When you buy an appliance, you commit to paying both the first cost and the operating cost for as long as you own it. And over the life of an appliance, the energy cost to run it can be many times greater than the first cost. So it pays to buy an energy-efficient appliance.The energy efficiency of a storage water heater is indicated by its energy factor (EF), an overall efficiency based on the use of 64 gallons of hot water per day. The first national appliance efficiency standards for water heaters took effect in 1990. New standards, which took effect in January 2004, increased the minimum efficiency levels of water heaters.

The most efficient gas-fired storage water heaters have energy factors ranging from 0.63 to 0.67, corresponding to estimated gas use below 170 therms/year. Condensing water heaters have energy factors as high as 0.86. The most efficient electric storage water heaters have energy factors ranging between 0.93 and 0.95, resulting in estimated annual energy use below 4,725 kWh/year.There is little difference between the most efficient electric resistance storage water heaters and the minimum efficiency standard. Fortunately, heat pump water heaters using less than half as much electricity as conventional electric resistance water heaters are becoming commercially available. If you use electricity for water heating, consider installing a heat pump water heater. Otherwise, look for the most efficient electric resistance unit in your size range. Even if you arent going to buy a new water heater, you can save a lot of energy and money with your existing system by following a few simple suggestions.

• Conserve Water: Your biggest opportunity for savings is to use less hot water. In addition to saving energy (and money), cutting down on hot water use helps conserve dwindling water supplies, which in some parts of the country is a critical problem. A family of four each showering five minutes a day can use about 700 gallons per weeka three-year drinking water supply for one person! Water-conserving showerheads and faucet aerators can cut hot water use in half. That family of four can save 14,000 gallons of water a year and the energy required to heat it.

• Insulate Your Existing Water Heater: If your water heater was installed before 2004, installing an insulating jacket on your existing water heater is one of the most effective do-it-yourself energy-saving projects, especially if your water heater is in an unheated basement or space. The insulating jacket will reduce standby heat lossheat lost through the walls of the tankby 2540%, saving 49% on your water heating bills. Water heater insulation jackets are widely available for around $10. Some newer water heaters come with fairly high insulation levels, reducing the economic benefits of adding additional insulation. In fact, some manufacturers recommend against installing insulating jackets on their energy-efficient models. Always follow directions carefully when installing an insulation jacket. Leave the thermostat(s) accessible. With conventional gas- and oil-fired water heaters, you need to be careful not to restrict the air inlet(s) at the bottom or the draft hood at the top.

• Insulate Hot Water Pipes: Insulating your hot water pipes will reduce losses as the hot water is flowing to your faucet and, more importantly, it will reduce standby losses when the tap is turned off and then back on within an hour or so. A great deal of energy and water is wasted waiting for the hot water to reach the tap. Even when pipes are insulated, the water in the pipes will eventually cool, but it stays warmer much longer than it would if the pipes werent insulated.

• Lower the Water Heater Temperature: Keep your water heater thermostat set at the lowest temperature that provides you with sufficient hot water. For most households, 120F water is fine (about midway between the low" and medium" setting). Each 10F reduction in water temperature will generally save 35% on your water heating costs. When you are going away on vacation, you can turn the thermostat down to the lowest possible setting, or turn the water heater off altogether for additional savings. With a gas water heater, make sure you know how to relight the pilot if youre going to turn it off while away.

Whether youre replacing a worn-out existing water heater or looking for the best model for a new house youre building, it pays to choose carefully. Look for a water heater that satisfies your hot water needs and uses as little energy as possible. Often you can substantially reduce your hot water needs through water conservation efforts.Resource Credit: Commission of Public Works, South Carolina 2007 Avis Ward of AWard Consulting, LLC

Avis E. Ward is a visonary called to unite the personal, spiritual and political through Love. She is an Ambassador of Love and Certified Seminar Leader. Avis is also a Dental Marketing Consultant specializing in Orthodontics. Avis invites you to view her blog. http://aviswardconsulting.com/ or Avis Ward

Yoga Mat Dark

Catching Trout In The Fall

Fall is the time of the year that many people turn their attention to chasing animals around in the woods and this is one of the main reasons that I love catching trout in the fall. In the fall of the year, rivers and streams tend to become much less crowded as people turn their attention to other things, which means there is more room for people like me who just like to catch trout. In the fall, not only are the rivers and streams much less crowded, it's also a great time of the year for catching trout. My theory is simple: it seems to me that here in the west, trout tend to "stock up" on food before the cold weather and shorter days make them much less active. I have caught more trophy size trout in the west, during the fall of the year, than at any other time.

I have known for a very long time that live crayfish are an excellent trophy trout bait, but in the fall of the year live night crawlers seem to be extremely effective as well. As the leaves begin to change, and the weather temperatures start to drop, there are few things I enjoy more than grabbing my ultra light rod and reel, filling my bait bag with live worms, and heading out for 3-4 hours on my favorite river. My best trout fishing days always occur in the fall, and I look forward to fall trout fishing like a drunk looks forward to that first beer after work.

The most effective method that I've found for catching trout in the fall is to use a set of pre-tied gang hooks baited with a live night crawler. If a rig such as this is allowed to flow naturally with the current of a river or stream, the results are amazing. As I said, this method has allowed me to catch many, many trout over twenty inches in the fall of the year, when most peoples attention is turned to other things.

This is exactly how to set up such a rig: begin by taking the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). Now tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks (size 8 or 10). At this point, split shot sinkers should be added above the barrel swivel for weight. The size and number of split shot will vary depending on current flow and the depth of the water. The goal is to have your offering bounce along the bottom as it drifts naturally with the current. With a little practice, you'll understand exactly what I'm referring to. Finally, simply bait your gang hooks with a night crawler and your good to go. If the worms that you're using are really large either pinch them in half or use a larger set of gang hooks.

The bottom line is that I've been using the rig that I just described to catch trout in the fall for more than 15 years and I know it works. If you us it, it will work for you as well. There is no better time of the year to catch trout than the fall, so get out there and have some fun. Not only is the fall the most beautiful season, in my opinion, it's also the best season for catching trout.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of http://www.JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country..Montana!

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Astanga Yoga New York

Theory of the Kleshas: a Yogic Understanding of Human Suffering (and Liberation!)

One of the foundational texts of the yoga Tradition is Patanjalis yoga Sutras. It is here (among other places) that the Yogic understanding of the origins of human suffering (and Liberation) is offered in the form of what is know as the Theory of the Kleshas.

According to Patanjali, human suffering has its origin in Avidya (the first Klesa), the ignorance that arises when the soul in its descent into matter forgets its divine origin. This forgetting gives rise to the second Klesa, Asmita, or the identification of the soul with its vehicles (the various bodies, including the most dense, or physical, that we inhabit in our journey through manifestation). This false identification operates through the mechanism of the third and fourth Klesas, Raga and Dvesa, desire and fear. And it is here that we see the basic mechanism through which our bodyminds (our thoughts, words, & actions) operate dualistically . . . for desire/fear (Raga/Dvesa) is simply the most basic of the polarities, or sets of opposites, which define the terrain of human existence in its conditioned state. The fifth Klesa is Abhinivesha, or the desire (of the body/vehicle or ego) for its life, i.e. the desire to perpetuate, and fear of losing, its (illusory) existence. This fifth Klesa defines the basic obstacle to reversing this process (the necessary first step for entering the path to Liberation), namely the attachment we have to the life of the structure created by the various polarities, whose dissolution we experience as death.

So what, then, is the solution? How does one reverse this process, dissolve the polarities, re-member ones Svarupa, or True Nature and in the process activate a True Form, i.e. a set of vehicles enlivened by Virtues/Deities/geometries that grow out of and are nourished by the uninterrupted remembrance of their divine origin (by the radiant Core of our Being, whose yogic metaphor is the Shushumna Nadi)? Now Patanjali, of course, has an answer (which he lays out in the remainder of The yoga Sutras ~ check it out!), as do countless other Saints, Sages and Teachers from various wisdom traditions.

The solution Ive chosen to work with, in my own practice, is a distillation of sorts, from the wellspring of these Eastern traditions, of a set of techniques designed specifically for the Western mind, based solidly in an understanding that it is in the resolution of opposites that one finds the key to beginning this journey homeward. These polarity processing techniques (a basic technique as well as variations on it designed specifically to address issues at the level of the physical and emotional bodies) were given by spirit to Leslie Temple-Thurston, and are described in her book The Marriage Of spirit. (Please see my previous post describing this method!) Within the realm of yoga asana, Richard Freeman is someone whose teaching method/philosophy is based at least in part upon a resolution of opposites: a practice which looks to marry opposing physical/energetic movements/patterns within the context of specific asanas and in so doing guide awareness continually back into the Shushumna Nadi, and from there allow asanas in their True Forms to express.

Elizabeth Reninger holds Masters degrees in Sociology & Chinese medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu forms ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For more yoga-related essays, and poetry, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

Bargain Yoga Mats

Video Game Systems

The first video game system that I actually owned was an Atari game console that played only pong and pong like games. The console used your television to visually display the game and its action. We were thrilled with the system and many hours were spent staring at the television screen with the eerie beep of the pong hitting the paddles echoing through out the room. The next video game system I owned was also an Atari, but instead of being dedicated to only one game, this actually accepted a variety of cartridges which played wonderful games, including Asteroids, Space Invaders and Pac-man. And we once again embraced them as wonderful advancements in technology and introduced them to our children.

Before I knew it, the kids were asking for a Commodore 64. They now wanted a personal computer and I was saving the money to get one, because the price was right. The C64 did not require a monitor, and could be plugged into a television set, and had graphics that were evolving away from the simple shapes of Atari to realistic drawings. Instead of all action games, some of the games involved solving problems and were much more intellectual. Even better, you could copy the games on a cheap cassette tape and pass them around.

The next video game system that the kids were asking for was the nintendo Entertainment system. It had high-resolution, full color, tiled backgrounds and the games were longer and contained more detailed graphics. Super Mario Brothers was the big hit game that everyone wanted. When the sega Mega drive was introduced, they were still happy with their nes. Then the kids outgrew the video game systems and it wasnt until I discovered the role playing game called morrowind that I was drawn into PC video games. I was totally blown away! I could not believe the advancements in technology that enabled such realism! And to my grandchildren, who by the way have nintendo 64 and play station 2 and full access to PC games, these are common, everyday toys. How amazing is that!?

Sandra Cundy

Bodytrends

Computer Network Overview

computer networking or data communication is a most important part of the information technology. Today every business in the world needs a computer network for smooth operations, flexibly, instant communication and data access. Just imagine if there is no network communication in the university campuses, hospitals, multinational organizations and educational institutes then how difficult are to communicate with each other. In this article you will learn the basic overview of a computer network. The targeted audience of this article is the people who want to know about the network communication system, network standards and types.

A computer network is comprised of connectivity devices and components. To share data and resources between two or more computers is known as networking. There are different types of a computer network such as LAN, man, WAN and wireless network. The key devices involved that make the infrastructure of a computer network are Hub, switch, router, modem, access point, LAN card and network cables.

LAN stands for local area network and a network in a room, in a building or a network over small distance is known as a LAN. man stands for Metropolitan area network and it covers the networking between two offices within the city. WAN stands for wide area network and it cover the networking between two or more computers between two cities, two countries or two continents.

There are different topologies of a computer network. A topology defines the physical layout or a design of a network. These topologies are star topology, bus topology, mesh topology, star bus topology etc. In a star topology each computer in a network is directly connected with a centralized device known as hub or switch. If any computer gets problematic in star topology then it does not affect the other computers in a network.

There are different standards and devices in computer network. The most commonly used standard for a local area network is ethernet. Key devices in a computer network are hub, switch, router, modem and access point etc. A router is used to connect two logically and physical different networks. All the communication on the internet is based on the router. Hub/Switch is used to connect the computers in local area network.

Hopefully, in this article you may have learnt that what a computer network is, how important it is in our lives, what are different network devices, standards, topologies and communication types.

B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as computer Networking, Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, computer hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.

Pilates And Yoga Cles Santa Cruz