New blog start and hardy grass for my backyard

This blog has been quiet for a long time. I tried to write something a couple years ago but did not get any traction to keep going. Here is another attempt.

This time I have a dog, which may give the blog some traction.

I did come across an awesome looking dog, which is in the photo on the left, while reading about grass seed for dogs. My dog has a tendency to pee in the same spot, and his urine makes the grass brown. I am trying to find a way to combat this.

The dog is a German Shepherd and the photo is from NosyNation. That website had reviews about dog products.

Been awhile blogosphere!

I haven't posted anything in a long time and the last article was pretty crappy at that. Did come across a cool video that has some funny pickup lines. I thought I put on here.

11 Tools an Electrician Uses

Tools are very important when it comes to an electrician and how they perform their job -- just ask my husband!  He's always buying new tools!

An electrician is responsible for bringing electricity into homes or businesses and work with not only replacing and adding wires but with circuit breakers, fuses and installing lighting as well. In order to get the job done they have certain tools they must use. With such new electrical machineries and maintenances making sure you have the right tools is important when you are learning how to become an electrician. Here are a list of just 11 of those tools and what they are used for.

1. Torpedo Level

A torpedo level is really essential for every electrician to have. This tool is used to check three different planes in tight spaces. It checks the surface for the level, plumb, and 45 degree angle. Torpedo levels are also used to make sure fixtures are fitted on straight and that nothing is crooked or off. 

2. Wire Strippers

An important tool for an electrician is wire strippers. A wire stripper removes the plastic coating or protective covering off of a cable to expose inner wires to different electric devices. Because wires come in a wide range in sizes an electrician needs to have a varied selection of wire strippers in their tool box.

3. Fish Tape

Fish tape is used by electricians to route new wiring through electrical conduit and walls. This is a very useful and important tool for every electrician.

4. Multitool

The best multi tools are small and can save an electrician from dragging the whole tool chest with him or her to a remote site. Leatherman tools are really nice, and there's a lot of good reviews about multi tools floating around the web.

5. Flashlight

This tool is very important for a job where there is limited light. It is vital that an electrician doesn’t work with wires or circuits were there isn’t proper lighting. A good flashlight should always be present in a toolbox.

6. Tape Measure

A tape measure may seem like a simple tool but it is so important for an electrician to have. Of course an electrician can use this to determine the length of something that needs to be cut or just measure lengths for wire. On the other hand a tape measure can also measure outlets and heights of switches. This is such a useful tool!

7. Diagonal Cutting Pliers

Diagonal cutting pliers are one of the many important cutters an electrician should own. These pliers are used to cut cable, wires, screws and nails heads. But because these are diagonal shape these should not be the only cutting tools in your box.

8. Cable Cutters

As an electrician it is not only important to have cable cutters in your toolbox but to have different sizes of cable cutters. This tool is used to cut through very thick wires and as every electrician knows wires come in different shapes and sizes. Because cable cutters are used to cut dense wires this tool is more powerful than your standard pliers.

9. Channel Lock Pliers

Channel lock pliers are used for pinching and grabbing different objects. They are useful for an electrician to tighten wires, cables and bolts without much fuss. They are also adjustable and can be used for different sizes of objects.

10.  Screw Driver

Electricians need a variety of screwdrivers in their toolbox. Screwdrivers are important when tightening and loosening screws on the job. It is important for an electrician to have the right type of screwdriver because they are working with electrical wiring. 

11. Electrician Hammer

Like a normal standard hammer the electric hammer is used to drive objects into materials. But what makes an electric hammer different is it use gives electricians a benefit for installing electrical boxes and screwing wire into wood frames. The hitting action done with this type of hammer is done electrically.

An electrician’s job is not an easy one and can be a lot of work, which is why the essential tools are so beneficial. Not only should an electrician have the right tools needed but it is important to also take care of these tools so they last a long time and work properly. Having an organized toolbox will make it where tools are easy to find and you will always have the right tool for you. An electrician’s toolbox is his or her best friend on the job!

Paula Deen 12512 15-piece porcelain cookware set review

My biggest fault, I guess, was deciding to surprise a friend with a cookware for her house-warming without doing some thinking. I forgot that she might already have her own set or might have her own ideas of the cookware she wanted for her kitchen.

It turned out that she did. So I ended bringing the whole thing to my mother’s house because my small kitchen could not accommodate a whole new set. I did take the 8-inch skillet because my old skillet was already wobbly at the handle; and the smallest saucepan because my mom forced me to keep it. Before I left, she told me that Teflon’s no good. Oh, well. So I started doing some research.

I bought the Paula Dean pear color set and it was pretty; I convinced myself that looks was important.

The pieces I got were truly non-stick. They also sat very well on my stovetop, which was impressive because I always had a problem with one of my unbalanced pots. The saucepan was heavily used – not only for sauces, but more often for soups. I loved the glass lid. I would have wanted the skillet to have its own lid too – for pancakes. The knobs were classy looking.

I didn’t like that it included a spoon set. Not that I didn’t like measuring spoons, in fact, I needed them. But it sounded like a bad joke that measuring spoons (5 of them) made it to the 15-piece cookware which actually included 10 cookware pieces and 5 spoons. It made the buyers look silly. Not an intelligent banner for a cookware at all; or an honest one, for that matter.

This merchandise may have been forged with heavy gauge materials but they’re definitely not designed for use in high temperature settings. Well, those were stated by the manufacturer in the product info. Not an issue for pancakes again, but soup is another matter. They do cook faster and heat up quickly. They are lightweight, easy to handle, and have non-stick interiors that are stain and scratch resistant for effortless cleaning.

For easy clean, pretty look, convenient handles and lids, quick cooking, even heating, and non-stick porcelain surface, it scores high in my book. For the relatively high price (almost $90 for 10 pieces of cookware inclusive of lids), the Teflon material which started to peel a week ago, the burn stains at the bottoms of the pot and pan, I rate the whole set 3. I only used 2 pieces, but I saw the other pieces in my mom’s garage. So it’s safe to say that she didn’t find them useful. The pot that I got was also very small. I should have taken the bigger one.

Point of learning: If I buy a gift that remotely resembled cookware next time, I’d make sure I knew what to look for in the first place. The price shouldn’t be the sole thing to go by. Also, I should read reviews first and hear from real users.

Money, money, money

Money pays the bills in the society that we live in, and  without them it would possibly be a little chaotic. People would have to barter with one another, and then others would care for nobody and becomes thieves.  

The American Indians learned a great amount of knowledge from each other as they exchanged goods, told stories, and sang songs around trading campfires.   They used their resources from mother nature and learned how to survive without electricity, cars, and microwave ovens.  However, Eastern North American Indians did use wampum (beads made from shells) as money, in addition they used it as decorations and wore it on holidays.

This worked for the Indians, because they had trust in each other.  Imagine strangers bartering with each other now days.  Everyone is out to rip one another off, and not to share ideas and goods with one another.   However, many people need to open their sewn shut eyelids, and perceive the world around them to learn that money is not the answer to all prayers.  It gives us  the only  physiological needs that Abraham Maslow described in his hierarchy of needs. 

Out of Maslow’s deficiency needs that will not be met is the need to belong and need to safety.   For instance, a family that is wealthy may have a difficult time with their children, because the parents spoil them with trivial items.  These children will have anything and everything that they want without having to lift a finger, however, the costs vary depending on the individual.

Who will give these children the safety needs that they desire—the need to be loved or the need for attention?  Often young children will get attention by throwing a tantrum, and then the parents will get them something to stop the tantrum.  Older children often become destructive to get their parents attention, and have no concern for anyone.   

When your child’s emotions become suppressed, and they become angry with you.  What will you do?  Work longer hours to get that extra money, and take them down to the toy store to buy something that makes them happy for a while.  Maybe spend time with them, and talk out the problems that are inflicting them.  Then looking for a solution to cure their problem, and this helps them come closer to completing their hierarchy of needs.   

Some people have a difficult time expressing their emotions even when they have not been financially set.  Vincent Van Gogh was an artist that lived in the late 1800’s, and he was exceptionally poor.  Theo, his younger brother, sent him enough francs to live on for roughly a month, because Vincent had decided to devote his life to art.  In his works he used a heavy impasto with bright colors to express himself emotionally.  In his Sunflower series, Vincent ran out of paint, and was not able to eat as comfortably as the month before, so he could afford paint to finish off the series.       

He only sold one work during his short-lived career as an artist, but now his paintings from the Sunflower series sell for millions.  He was a devoted and troubled man, and many believe he was plagued with epilepsy.  His paintings were therapy for him, however whenever he was having a seizure he would not paint until he felt that he was well enough to. 

Money pays the expenses, but it will cause emotional and physical problems if there is too much or not enough.   Finally,  Roger Waters wrote an ode that said “Money so they say/ Is the root of all evil today/ But if you ask for a rise it’s no surprise that they’re/ giving none away.”

Interesting vid

Racial Discrimination in the Workplace

Racial inequality in the Workplace is a concept that is extremely old and as distasteful today as it was in the past. There have been several laws all over the world banning any sort of discrimination in the workplace based on race. However, laws can only be created to be imposed on people; it cannot change the way people think, feel or act. Even in countries as developed and as sophisticated as the United States of America, people still face discrimination because of being of a different race. 

According to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, race discrimination refers to treating someone with a difference, generally in a negative sense or unfavorably; because he or she belongs to a certain race. Here, the term unfavorably indicates a number of actions in employment, such as hiring, firing, wage, promotion, suspension, payment, bonus, assignment, or any other aspects.

Again, any sort of harassment due to one’s race is strictly prohibited in any form of employment in the US which racial slurs or any kind of remarks based on one’s race. This is applicable for the victim’s colleague, supervisor, employer, customer or client.  

Even after all the laws and regulations, racial discrimination is still seen in a number of organizations. According to a study in the Law and Society Review, Hispanics and Blacks are likely to receive fewer invitations to interviews and job offers than Caucasians.

However, racial discrimination is usually subtle and masked by other reasons which make it harder to pinpoint or detect it. That is, if a person feels he or she is being discriminated because of their race or color or ethnicity, there is usually no way to prove it. When confronted about it, their employees may simply deny the fact and base the real reason being low experience or performance of the worker. For example, if during an interview, if a person feels like they will not get the job because his or her race or color is not preferable to the interviewer, there will be little chance of proving it because there can be a number of plausible reasons behind it.

Again, the reasons behind a late promotion, less salary or fewer assignments may be racial discrimination or inexperience or bad work ethics. Therefore, in maximum times, direct racial discrimination is not seen and hard to catch.

Reluctance to assign a certain important project or responsibility to a person because of their race, or passing on a promotion or a raise to someone less qualified can be a sign of racial discrimination as well.  

State laws in the US do not stand still when it comes to racial inequality in the workplace. Rather, there is strict prohibition of racial discrimination in the workplace by state and federal laws. The primary federal laws addressing racial discrepancy in work falls under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According this law, the employers are strictly prohibited to:

a. Refusing to hire a person because of his or her race,
b. Firing a person because of his or her race,
c. Paying a person less salary or lesser benefits because of his or her race,
d. Not providing deserved promotion, raise or benefits to a person because of his or her race,

For the same reason, organizations or employers are prohibited to make decisions or assign assignments based on a person’s color, ethnicity or race. Labor unions or office groups are prohibited to deny membership to a person based on their race.
However, at both state and federal levels, deadline is a key factor. There are strict deadlines for reporting or filing complaint which must be met for the complaint to be taken into account.