Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Hot New Towel Warmers

The origins of cast iron water heated towel warmers referred to as radiators, dates back to the 1920’s, but were quickly phased out during the Depression era and when the economy eventually picked up never made a strong comeback until recently. When the mid 90’s approached, homeowners began incorporating new technologically advanced towel warmers into their bathroom remodeling projects due to the warm luxurious nature both electric and water heated towels rails bring about in today’s bathrooms. The feeling of wrapping yourself in a warm toasty towel after stepping out of a bath or shower provides a soothing sensation rather than a cold damp just used towel.

With the reintroduction of the heated towel warmer spawned a vast selection of styles and finishes not only for the bathroom, but are now being installed in bedrooms, mudrooms and basements for added heat and as a way to reduce moisture and mildew. Hydronic heated towel warmer models use hot water from either your domestic hot water heater or hydronic system which requires the use of a circulating pump in order to warm the towel rails. Electric self-contained rail warmers are oil filled, once plugged it the oil begins heating and since they have low wattage heating elements they are a safe and economical way of bringing warmth to any room. The beauty of these paneled radiators whether electric or hydronic are great for those chilling winter months for warming blankets and drying wet winter clothing.

Fashionable Heated Towel Rails

The combination of design and practically are both appealing with a wide variety to choose from that take up little floor and wall space making it easy to custom coordinate the sleek look of these towel heaters in to any bathroom d้cor. Contemporary column designs to the traditional radiator styles have been ingeniously recreated to look more like a fashion piece of furniture adding to ambiance of your bathroom. The craftsmanship and design of the heaters allows pipes, radiator valves and fitting to be concealed for a clean uncluttered look as are electrical towel rails equipped with only a plug. The innovational architecture from spiral, curved or ladder types, the towel warmers are available in a number of dimensional sizes, colors and rail designs with chrome finishes leading the way for an aesthetically pleasing display.

With plenty of heating power, the decorative railed towel warmers are a possible alternative for warming any room in your home. Along with a multitude of styles and designs comes the offering of power, the BTU’s, British Thermal Unit, and power wattage are far more efficient and economical than typical base board heaters making them a hot ticket item for both bathroom manufacturers and retailers.

Written by Shelley Murphy on behalf of www.victoriaplumb.com an online retailer of bathroom furniture, steam showers, shower enclosures, whirlpool spa baths and bath related products serving the United Kingdom.

Shelley Murphy brings with her over 10 years of Search Engine Optimization and e-marketing strategies to web based businesses. Holding two BA’s in English and Journalism Communications her writing skills have been a great asset for both onsite writing and monthly newsletters publications.


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Friday, December 19, 2008

Free Credit Report Access

As of September first 2005, all Americans became able to request and obtain a free credit report from each credit bureau once each year. Checking your credit report regularly is vital to ensure accuracy and protect against possible identity theft. The sooner you check your credit report, the more time you will have to dispute inaccuracies and improve your credit information. This is important because the information contained in your credit report is used to determine your credit score which in turn is used by financial institutions to calculate the rates you will pay on loans, by insurance companies to figure the amount you will pay on your policies as well by employers to decide if you will make a good employee when applying for a job.

We all need to check our credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union). This means that we must go through the process three separate times.

Spreading our requests out over a 12 month time period, is a good way to keep a constant eye on accuracy. Remember, we are all eligible for one free credit report from each agency each and every year, so be diligent and keep a close eye on yours.

This article was written by Kriss Standke who is an accomplished Webmaster and publisher of Free Credit Report Spot, Credit Score Recource, and Check Credit Report Online.

See more Info Links


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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Educated Choice

The more you and your employees know about your health care plan choices, the easier it is to control costs. By Cathy Aguirre

How to control health care costs continues to dominate discussions among benefit administrators, chief financial
officers, CEOs, insurance brokers and health benefit companies. When you lower your costs, your employees often react by thinking they will receive fewer benefits.

Offering a choice of plans, having a sensible contribution strategy and providing employee education can hold costs down and satisfy employees.

Choice, Choice, Choice

Offering a choice in benefit plans, choice in network access and choice in monthly costs are some of the best ways to keep health care costs affordable. Whether you have 20 employees or 1,000, find a health benefits company that can offer you several plans for employees to choose from.

Typically, employers offer very little choice in health benefit plans. Successful benefit administrators understand that every employee has unique health care needs. Why not offer employees three or four plans to choose from?

The level of benefits employees choose will relate directly to how much they utilize health care services and what they can
afford.

Most health benefit companies offer the following types of plans.

Traditional HMO. Lowest-cost plan, all care is coordinated by a primary care physician; employee must stay in network

Open access. A slightly higher-priced plan allowing the employee the freedom to selfrefer to specialists in the network. More freedom equals a higher cost.

Point of Service (POS). A less affordable plan for most, with more freedom; employee can access HMO benefits/network and/or
pay higher co-insurance and choose any doctor

Preferred Provider Organization plan (PPO).
Greatest freedom, highest cost; total network access and out-of-network benefit, self-refer to specialist

Developing a contribution strategy

Now that you have decided to partner with a carrier that can offer your employees the choices they need, how do you stay within your company’s budget? The answer is simple — be fair and consistent by implementing a defined contribution strategy that fits your company’s budget. This process can be accomplished in two easy steps.

1. Determine what dollar amount per employee your business can afford.

2. Select a carrier that can offer you four plans that will satisfy your employees’ health care needs.

Here’s an example of how a defined contributions strategy could work for you (based on a health benefits budget of $180 per
employee, per month).

In the example in the chart above, your company accomplished two very important goals: You controlled your company’s costs
and you offered your employees choices.

With a defined contributions strategy, your employees are responsible for evaluating what they need and how much they are willing to pay.

A choice of plans with a defined contribution strategy is two-thirds of the employer’s cost saving equation. By adding employee education, you could see a change in behavior that can lead to significant savings. The more informed employees are about the true cost of health care and how their choicesdirectly affect their pocketbook, the more likely they are to become “partners” in controlling costs.

Most health benefit carriers provide members with an Explanation of Benefits for all claims processed, which contains the cost of
services. Web-based tools offer plan information and are user-friendly. At workshops and mandatory open enrollment educational
meetings, employees can speak directly with a carrier representative.

As health insurance premiums continue to rise and more employers face very difficult decisions, offering a choice of plans can keep your employees happy and satisfy your bottom line.

CATHY AGUIRRE, vice president of account services for VISTA,
has more than 18 years of experience in managed care marketing.
Aguirre provides leadership for all of VISTA’s commercial
accounts, which include Broward County government, The School Board of Broward County, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Miami-Dade Government, Sears, Walgreen’s and United Airlines.
Reach her at http://www.vistahealthplan.com


[tags]Health care, controlling cost[/tags]

Choose Full-Service Banquet Facilities for Weddings, Anniversaries, or Reunions

Maybe your daughter has come to you starry-eyed and announced her engagement, talking about all kinds of plans for a big, splashy wedding. Or your parents are looking forward to their golden wedding anniversary, and as the "glue" that binds the family together, you're being looked upon by your brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles as the natural choice to pull off a big anniversary party. Maybe you're responsible for a long-awaited family reunion, or a reunion of your husband's army buddies, or the annual firefighters' association banquet.

Reasons for throwing a major social event are infinite. The trouble is, pulling together a wedding reception, anniversary party, or reunion can be a complicated affair. Renting and decorating a banquet hall, finding entertainment, hiring a caterer, choosing the menu, creating and sending invitations - all take time as well as money; and with the busy schedules we all lead today, it can be a major commitment of energy as well as time and money.

Make it easy on yourself!

Contracting with a full-service banquet facility which offers event planning expertise can simplify the process immensely, while creating an attractive and festive environment sure to impress the participants. A competent event planner can also guide you through the process of coordinating your event. She can help you develop a budget for your affair, and then present alternatives, including ideas for d้cor, menus, and entertainment options. While an event planner can't take all the responsibility for your special event off your shoulders, she can certainly save you a lot of wasted time and effort and help you avoid the pitfalls of event planning.

When you're contracting with a banquet facility, make sure you take into account the events that need to take place there. A wedding generally has a band, orchestra, or DJ with music and dancing; a reunion or wedding anniversary may need some kind of AV equipment and a projection screen for showing family photos or home movies.

Many brides-to-be want a formal wedding in a church, with a reception to follow in a second location; but others are happy to hold both wedding and reception in the same place, and many facilities provide a wedding chapel or other wedding hall in addition to the reception area. In this instance, the facility event planner can coordinate the entire process, from wedding to reception.

Arranging for accommodations for out-of-town guests can be an added responsibility. If you've chosen a facility which is part of a hotel, making overnight on-site accommodations for your out-of-town visitors can be a major convenience, both for them and for you; and there's a possibility that you'll be able to arrange for group discounts.

Keep your most important priorities in sight.

Remember, hiring a full-service banquet facility and event planner isn't supposed to complicate your life, it's supposed to make it easier. The most important thing is that all of the event's participants - including you - enjoy yourselves. Let the event planner worry; that's what she's hired to do!

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for the Internet and for local and regional publications. She can be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.


[tags]Wedding planning[/tags]

Friday, December 05, 2008

Confidence and Self-Esteeem - Two Sides of the Same Coin

Many years ago, when I was in school in India, I had a classmate who was very confident in taking initiatives. He could do things that we, as children could not. Some of us thought that he was outstanding. He would, for example, be smart in replying to teachers’ questions in informal settings where others would be left fumbling for words. He had participated in radio programmes and had done plays on the radio, a medium that was inaccessible for many in India in the late sixties. Undoubtedly we were impressed.

In hindsight, I remember, this same classmate used to be easily excited. He was highly nerve strung. He could not sit still with ease. He chewed his nails. He was suffering with anxiety. Whatever activities he participated in, he gave the impression he was confident. But he had low self-esteem. He participated in these activities to get attention and to deal with his own anxiety.

It is now apparent to me that because his self-esteem was low, he tended to take initiatives more than others. Obviously, it impressed everyone around. But the real need was to get attention. To hide his own fears and anxiety, he had to be seen to have confidence in what he was doing.

A sense of self-worth is termed as ‘self-esteem’. People who feel anxiety in the company of others may have a low self-esteem. They may talk a lot and are considered ‘life and soul’ of the party. On the other hand, someone who has a high self-worth may not talk a lot in a party situation. This person could be termed ‘unsociable’ by others. They would talk less but whatever they say carries weight. They may not look for attention and so they may come across someone who does not have confidence. In crisis situations, they will be the ones who you can depend upon.

Confidence can be internal- what a person feels inside them. Self worth is the measure of ‘internal confidence’. Confidence can also be external- which is based on how confident one looks. The more the person engages in activities to seek attention, the lower is the self-worth or self-esteem. So anyone who looks confident in a particular situation, may not necessarily have a lot of self-worth . And someone who does not talk much may be having a high self-esteem and would be more grounded than others.

With experience, you will be able to distinguish between the two.

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of The Stress Barrier-Nature's Way To Overcoming Stress published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.His website address is http://www.drpkchadha.com


[tags]Cofidence, Self-esteem, self-worth, attention-seeking, anxiety[/tags]

Adjustable Rate Mortgage

The adjustable rate mortgage is a type of loan which will be secured on a home which has an interest rate and monthly payment that will vary. The adjustable rate will transfer a portion of the interest rate from the creditor to the homeowner. The adjustable rate mortgage will often be used in situations where fixed rate loans are hard to acquire. While the borrower will be at an advantage if the interest rate falls, they will be at a disadvantage if it rises. In places like the United Kingdom, this is a very common type of mortgage, while it is not popular in other countries.

The adjustable rate mortgage is excellent for homeowners who only plan to live in their homes for about three years. The interest rate will typically be low for the first three to seven years, but will begin to fluctuate after this time. Like other mortgage options, this loan allows the homeowner to pay on the principle early, and they don't have to worry about penalties. When payments are made on the principle, it will help lower the total amount of the loan, and will reduce the time that is necessary to pay it off. Many homeowners choose to pay off the entire loan once the interest rate drops to a very low level, and this is called refinancing.

One of the disadvantages to adjustable rate mortgages is that they are often sold to people who are not experienced in dealing with them. These individuals will not pay back the loans within three to seven years, and will be subjected to fluctuating interest rates, which often rise substantially. In the US, some of these cases are tried as predatory loans. There are a number of things consumers can do to protect themselves from rising interest rates. A maximum interest rate cap can be set which will only allow interest rates to rise at a specific amount each year, or the interest rate can be locked in for a specific period of time. This will give the homeowner time to increase their income so that they can make larger payments on the principle.

The primary advantage of this loan is that it lowers the cost of borrowing money for the first few years. Homeowners will save money on monthly payments, and it is excellent for those who plan on moving into a new home within the first seven years. However, there are risks to this type of mortgage that must be understood. If the owner has problems making payments, or runs into a financial emergency, the rates will eventually rise, and the owner who cannot make payments may lose their home.

One term that you will hear lenders talking about is caps. The cap can be defined as a clause that will set the highest change possible for the interest rate of the loan. Homeowners can set up a cap on their mortgage, but they will need to make a request from the lender, as the cap may not be present on the rate sheets that are presented.

Michael Colucci is a writer for Adjustable Rate Mortgage which is part of the Knowledge Search network.


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Monday, November 24, 2008

The Importance of a Name in the Sent from Email Address

When using an email marketing tool such as Adestra’s Message Focus, you are able to specify exactly what sent address you want the email to be labelled as being broadcasted from. From prevalent industry contacts through to brand names, this gives the marketers the flexibility to use ‘sent from’ addresses that resonate with their audience for improved recognition.

This flexibility can be a blessing but also a burden. If you’re choosing to broadcast as if from someone, over the past 4 years the Adestra team have learnt some valuable lessons.

If you broadcast from someone:

Monitor the inbound email channel

Many individuals believe it is from that person and expect to be able to reply to that person and get a response. In many cases, requests for more information or even orders are sent back into the inbound filters rather than through the channels suggested by your communication. Likewise, recipients often reply with personal messages for that person.

Keep named email contact in the loopIf you are choosing to send from someone, the chances are their name means something to your audience. To this extent, please ask their permission before sending. In many cases they will want to cast their eye over the email content to ensure no defamatory comments are made and that accuracy is ensured.

Do not over-use the same send from address

One client has been broadcasting from the same contact email address for a number of months. Many of their email recipients have added their name to a list of rules upon their inbox, in many cases to move their emails directly to the ‘Deleted Items’ folder.

Likewise, their email address has been stopped by SPAM server settings at certain company’s receiving email server. The net effect of this is that this contact email address can no longer use their own personal account to email industry contacts as they are picked up within these rules.

Ensure they are going to be at your company now and into the future

Building up the reputation of a key expert within your organisation is a worthwhile activity. These opinion leader’s comments and thoughts carry weight. However, if you have been broadcasting from a person for a number of months, and this person leaves your company you will be forced to stop sending from them. By replacing this name you lose the recognition you’d developed

Through Adestra’s Message Focus, you have complete control over who you send your emails as. Across our client base, marketers use:

  • Company Names
  • Product Names
  • Key Contact Names
  • Brand Names
  • Web Site Addresses
  • Customer Service Operations
  • Promotion Names e.g. Summer Sale

Adestra would recommend varying the ‘send from’ address for tactical promotions. For regular newsletters, using a consistent product name/branding name is sensible to aid recognition.

Essentially, test, test and test again. Although this phrase is an age old adage but with Adestra’s Message Focus’ reporting tools you can understand what works and what doesn’t. We recommend that you monitor the open rates and learn which sent from address works for your business.

About the author:

Paul Crabtree is presently Marketing Director of Adestra (http://www.adestra.com), a UK based digital marketing agency that specialise in inbound and outbound email, fax and SMS broadcast solutions. Adestra's client portfolio includes many UK based publishers including Janes Information Group, Informa, Lexis Nexis, OUP, Blackwells and others.

Previous to this role, Paul was responsible for heading-up online marketing for Informa Telecoms' publishing division working on a portfolio of reports, newsletters, ad-led vehicles and the industry portal telecoms.com.

Paul will draw on his 5 years of focused experience in working in online marketing for publishers.



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