You know H&R Block? Their logo is just a green...block. Very simple. Almost too simple. You may also remember how clothing chain Gap tried to simplify their logo in October 2010...and failed miserably, lasting less than a week.
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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MC-4LQ7XqX8/@barrett
No one can deny Netflix is betting big on its original content -- and for very good reasons, mind you. In light of this, the video streaming giant is already preparing to premiere yet another series of its own: a psychological thriller from the brains behind the television show Damages. Netflix ...
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0O-wSkBE3UI/
Reader question: My garage floods due to driveway runoff during heavy rains. I am getting ready to put the house on the market as I am relocating to a different state. Do I need to disclose this as a drainage issue on my seller’s disclosure? Thanks. Brad W.
Monty's answer: Hello, Brad, and thanks for your question. The law requires sellers to disclose defects or conditions that negatively affect value, affect the health of occupants or that if not repaired, removed or replaced would significantly shorten or adversely affect the expected average life of the premises.
It is the right step
As a seller, it is a smart idea to disclose even if the law did not require it. Doing so may eliminate the cost and likelihood of a future lawsuit or small claims judgment. Not disclosing the issue carries a high probability that whoever buys the property will become aware of it, and when they do, a neighbor will make an unwitting comment like “Oh, I thought they took care of that problem. He used to be hauling wet boxes out of the garage every week.” People have a tendency to become upset when they come to believe they have not been treated fairly.
Make the sale easy
Consider the idea of not having the issue on a seller condition report at all. If it has been correctly and permanently repaired, it is not a requirement to report a problem that no longer exists. Here is a quick test: If a buyer has two homes they like that are identical, except home “A” has water rushing into the garage during heavy rains and home “B” has no issues. Which property will they buy? Taking this test helps see the benefit of repair clearly. As a follow-up question, ask “How much would the seller of home “A” have to reduce the price to swing the buyer back over their way? The typical buyer does not want to buy a problem, unless there is a financial incentive.
You could save money
There are other positives in fixing the problem before placing the home on the market. By fixing it first, there is no already nervous homebuyer looking over your shoulder. Also, making the repair after a price is established for the home comes out of your pocket. When making the repair prior to a sale, the cost can often be factored into the asking price. Buyers have a tendency to overestimate the cost of repairs; so taking these potential issues out of the home selling equation are a plus.
Pay the buyer to do it
A common problem in real estate transactions is a buyer that complains because the seller's repair work is shoddy. A similar complaint is "They found the cheapest material." If money is tight, consider negotiating with the buyer to accept a reduced price for the cost of repairs. When the buyer completes, or supervises the repairs, it is difficult to have complaints.
A seller will often overlook the correct repair for an inexpensive method. Identify several contractor or concrete contractor "experts" and solicit 3 written proposals to fix the problem permanently. Make certain they include a “not to exceed” price. They each may have a different solution, and sometimes the least expensive one makes the most sense. If a seller cannot come up with the cash to make the necessary repairs, having 3 estimates to share with a buyer is a positive.
Make lemons into lemonade
In some cases, fixing the issue can also add a new selling point to the equation. For example, perhaps the best solution is to remove the concrete driveway, lower the grade 3 inches and re-pour the driveway. When driveways are cracked and un-even, fixing the water problem creates a home improvement, as well. If a below-grade cap gutter cut into the concrete outside the garage door is the best solution, it may also serve as a floor drain for the garage.
Most water-related issues could be repaired. The main exception is when the home is located in a flood zone.
New York-based artist Pelle Cass
If you've ever floated a ping-pong ball atop the warm blast from a hair dryer, you'll appreciate this video that endeavors to explain the physics behind how the same phenomenon occurs with jets of water.
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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/c0WQApI35ro/the-physics-of-how-a-water-jet-can-keep-a-ball-floating-1445828275![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sp4Oivi53iYwBOH13JuAPL2VL0G9eOgE51xO1kOdvkyX7Yz8ZItDfyWYoAUk64OqVvprXSRkwpNs4A8iKXNojjq0Kap1OiERM0gLNWMow=s0-d){kind=small}
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Sandra Murillo
Sandra.Murillo@newyork.msf.org
212-763-5765
Public Library of Science
In a report publishing October 17th, 2013 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) and its scientific research arm, Epicentre, present results of one of the first-ever, large-scale use of an oral cholera vaccine during a cholera outbreak a major breakthrough in the understanding and future control of deadly cholera epidemics.
Using results from a mass vaccination campaign of more than 300,000 people conducted in Guinea last year, MSF and Epicentre show the feasibility of implementing a mass vaccination campaign with oral cholera at the onset of an outbreak, similar to the way reactive vaccination campaigns are conducted when diseases such as measles or meningitis are reported in an area.
Last year, MSF teams in Guinea noticed cases of cholera months ahead of the rainy season. These early cholera cases and other factors, including the lack of a cholera epidemic in Guinea for several years, and the ongoing cholera epidemic in neighboring Sierra Leone, were strong indications to MSF and the Ministry of Health that a major cholera epidemic was imminent.
Starting in April of last year the Guinean Ministry of Health and MSF administered 316,250 doses of vaccine during two vaccination rounds in the coastal districts of Boffa and Forecariah, Guinea over six weeks. All individuals older than 12 months were eligible for vaccination in both rounds. The vaccination campaign was well accepted by the local community and MSF achieved high coverage rates. The two doses vaccine coverage was 75.8% in Boffa and 75.9% in Forecariah, respectively. Almost all people surveyed after the campaign, 98.9 percent, reported that they would be vaccinated again in a future cholera campaign.
Oral cholera vaccine was added to the WHO recommendation for cholera treatment in 2010, but so far has not been commonly used as a public health tool for control of the disease. Concerns about its feasibility, timeliness and acceptability by population, as well as fear of diverting resources from other medical programs have discouraged the use of an oral cholera vaccine.
"With this study, we show that with proper planning and outreach in the communities, it is indeed possible to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people in a remote area, with a highly mobile population, in a relatively short period of time, against cholera," said Dr. Francisco Luquero, the paper's principal investigator. "However, more evidence is still needed about the feasibility of reactive campaigns in densely populated urban areas. Oral cholera vaccines should not be viewed as a long-term solution for global cholera control. They should be integrated as an additional tool in the global response to cholera outbreaks."
###
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Sandra Murillo
Sandra.Murillo@newyork.msf.org
212-763-5765
Public Library of Science
In a report publishing October 17th, 2013 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) and its scientific research arm, Epicentre, present results of one of the first-ever, large-scale use of an oral cholera vaccine during a cholera outbreak a major breakthrough in the understanding and future control of deadly cholera epidemics.
Using results from a mass vaccination campaign of more than 300,000 people conducted in Guinea last year, MSF and Epicentre show the feasibility of implementing a mass vaccination campaign with oral cholera at the onset of an outbreak, similar to the way reactive vaccination campaigns are conducted when diseases such as measles or meningitis are reported in an area.
Last year, MSF teams in Guinea noticed cases of cholera months ahead of the rainy season. These early cholera cases and other factors, including the lack of a cholera epidemic in Guinea for several years, and the ongoing cholera epidemic in neighboring Sierra Leone, were strong indications to MSF and the Ministry of Health that a major cholera epidemic was imminent.
Starting in April of last year the Guinean Ministry of Health and MSF administered 316,250 doses of vaccine during two vaccination rounds in the coastal districts of Boffa and Forecariah, Guinea over six weeks. All individuals older than 12 months were eligible for vaccination in both rounds. The vaccination campaign was well accepted by the local community and MSF achieved high coverage rates. The two doses vaccine coverage was 75.8% in Boffa and 75.9% in Forecariah, respectively. Almost all people surveyed after the campaign, 98.9 percent, reported that they would be vaccinated again in a future cholera campaign.
Oral cholera vaccine was added to the WHO recommendation for cholera treatment in 2010, but so far has not been commonly used as a public health tool for control of the disease. Concerns about its feasibility, timeliness and acceptability by population, as well as fear of diverting resources from other medical programs have discouraged the use of an oral cholera vaccine.
"With this study, we show that with proper planning and outreach in the communities, it is indeed possible to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people in a remote area, with a highly mobile population, in a relatively short period of time, against cholera," said Dr. Francisco Luquero, the paper's principal investigator. "However, more evidence is still needed about the feasibility of reactive campaigns in densely populated urban areas. Oral cholera vaccines should not be viewed as a long-term solution for global cholera control. They should be integrated as an additional tool in the global response to cholera outbreaks."
###
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
"The death of radio has been foretold pretty much since its invention," Seth Lind explains. "Especially since the invention of television. Why would you listen to radio since the invention of television? One of the main answers to that is you can do other things while you're listening to radio. You ...
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6889rsHuIT8/
