MAKE A NOTE!! -- April 17th, 2002
CIRCULATION - 24,886 (From Around the World! :-)
WEB SITE VISITORS - 46,147
A Free Twice Monthly (1st and 3d Wednesday of each month) Ezine with (Hopefully) Useful Info on a Wide Variety of Topics
NEXT ISSUE TO BE PUBLISHED ON/ABOUT MAY 1ST, 2002
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NOTE: Each entry has a suggested "POST IT..." location at the end. We recommend that you print out the ezine, cut out each entry, & post it in these locations to make it easier for you to find when you need it. And if you like what you read, be sure to pass it on to someone else who can use it.
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Buying a Deck
'Tis the season, the weather turns nice, tax returns weren't as bad as you thought, & you start thinking "DECK!". Here are some tips to increase your odds of getting great results. First enter the phone numbers of deck builders from the yellow pages into the Better Business Bureau's web site ( http://www.bbb.org ). If you don't have web site access use your local BBB's phone service. Make two lists...one of the builders who are BBB members with no complaints, and another list of those who aren't members but have a file with no complaints. Ideally you should get at least 4 estimates. So start with your members list and call them when you know the office will be closed (don't make it too late, some people use their homes as offices). Leave a message on their machine. This is a test. If they don't get back to you quickly when they think you are a potential customer, how long do you think it will take to reach them when you've already made the deposit? If you can't get 4 estimates from the members, then start on the non-member list. It is also a good idea to ask neighbors, local lumber supply stores, and your county building inspectors' office (off the record of course :-). Avoid any companies that offer to give you a special deal because of your yard's location, or if they can put a sign up. Also avoid companies that insist on meeting with both spouses (even if you plan to both be there), usually they will be trying to get you to sign the dotted line at the time of the estimate. Ask them for addresses where you can see their work and phone references, and CALL them. Ask about warranties, how the payments are made, prices, how many decks like yours they have done (if it is a new composite material, their experience may be limited), licensed, bonded, insured? Consider avoiding stairs, unless the deck will be on the ground level. Stairs take up valuable deck space for upper level decks. Also for insurance & safety reasons, it is nice to be able to control access to the deck (neighborhood kids?). Composite materials (wood particles & plastic combined) are becoming so popular now that many deck builders are doing more than 50% of their jobs with them. One that has been around longer than most is Trex ( http://www.trex.com ), looks a lot like wood, but never needs that annual deck treatment (in some areas $300/yr). On an average size deck it will run about $1000 more, but you'll save that quickly in deck treatments. No splinters, and if you go with their new Saddle color, it doesn't fade. I'd avoid the darker colors which can generate a lot of heat. Talk to your neighbors to see if they want a deck, often contractors will give you a special group rate. Some give discounts during the slower winter months. Most deck builders in an area will be able to start about the same time out (in the DC area 6-8 weeks), if a contractor can get you in right away, be cautious, there may be a reason he is so free. Make sure the contractor is the one who gets all the permits & inspections. Is all this worth the work? Let me relate my experience...out of 45 names in the phone book, 9 were on the BBB list, I called all 9 after hours and only 5 returned my call, I've gotten 2 estimates so far and one was $2000 CHEAPER than the other, and one man had only done 1 Trex deck before. Too much work? Just think of the work involved in fixing a substandard job. These suggestions would also be good for any kind of contracting work.
POST IT...under decks and/or contractors.
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Clinical Trials Info
Apparently our link on clinical trials has gone bad, so here are three to replace it.
But often the best source for this type of info is a newsletter for the specific condition you are dealing with. There are always risks in becoming involved with trials, and only you & your doctor can decide if it is worth it. Make sure to find out who is financing the study, could the safety considerations be biased? Trials are usually divided into 3 categories: Phase 1-First time treatment tried on humans, usually only small trial group involved. Phase 2-If phase 1 goes well, they try it with a larger group of people. Phase 3-More people, but usually only half the people actually get the treatment & the "control group" gets the placebo. For more discussion of the risks, see a wonderful article at
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAYSGLP20D.html
POST IT...in your medical dictionary's index under "trials".
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"Endurance" Videos
I just can't help sharing good info, and the saga of the "Endurance" has continued to be popular with our readers. Shortly after our issue came out alerting you to the PBS documentary on the Endurance, A & E cable came out with a movie about their ordeal starring Kenneth Branaugh as Shackleton. Both the documentary and A & E movie can be purchased from the respective companies, or you may be able to catch it on reruns. Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/
or
http://store.aetv.com/html/catalog/vp01.jhtml?id=70430
If you don't have web site access you can call 1-800-255-9424 for the PBS video or 1-888-423-1212 for A & E's movie. An interesting note from one of our readers, "before the 2001-2002 professional football season, Bill Belichek took the Patriots, the super bowl winning football team, to see it to instill team play in them. It apparently worked."
POST IT...near your TV Guide and on your shopping list.
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Loose Ends
Please accept my apologies, sometimes I don't provide enough details for our readers in different parts of the country/world. First, the ACL mentioned in the last issue is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, a ligament in the knee that can tear & require surgery. Second, the box of powdered sugar in the Earthquake Cake recipe is 1 pound.
POST IT...with the other articles from last issue. :-)
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Recipe: Chocolate Layered Dessert (from Elaine L.)
Crust-Mix together 1C graham cracker crumbs, 1 stick butter/margarine melted, 1C chopped pecans/walnuts, and 1/3C brown sugar. Pat into bottom of 13x9 dish. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, then cool. Layer 1-Mix 8oz package of softened cream cheese, 1C powdered sugar, and 1C whipped topping (more to make it gooey). Spread over COOLED crust. Layer 2-Mix 1 large (6 serving box) instant chocolate pudding with 3C milk. Let stand for 5 min. Spread over Layer 1. Take the remainder of the whipped topping container and put on top. Sprinkle about 1/2C chopped pecans/walnuts on top, or maraschino cherries, or chocolate sprinkles. Use your imagination. Chill 3-4 hours or overnight. This is a great one for those hot summer nights.
POST IT...in your recipe box.
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Back Issue Treasure: June 1st, 2000 (How to Buy a Swimsuit, Computer Virus Protection, Free Craft Classes & Circus Tickets, and more)
Here's the back issue for those summertime preparations.
 | Need a new swimsuit? Check out our tips on buying the one most flattering to you. |
| Kids need summer activities? Find out where to find some free or very inexpensive craft classes at craft or home supply stores. |
| Know someone who had a baby in the past year? You can tell them how to get a coupon for a free circus ticket that can be used when the child is older (these days that can be $30 or more!). |
| Find out where to check out computer viruses also. |
So, click HERE to retrieve all this wonderful info.
POST IT...by your computer.
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Final Words
JOKE (from Noelle P.)
How do you save a hippo drowning in hot chocolate? Throw him a marshmallow. :-)
QUOTE
"Life today in America is based on the premise of ever widening circles of contact and communication...My mind reels with it. What a circus act we women perform every day of our lives! It puts the trapeze artist to shame. Look at us. We run a tightrope daily, balancing a pile of books on the head. Baby-carriage, parasol, kitchen chair, still under control. This is not the life of simplicity but the life of multiplicity that wise men warn us of. It leads not to unification but to fragmentation. It does not bring grace; it destroys the soul...The problem of multiplicity of life not only condemns the American woman, but also the American man."
---Anne Morrow Linbergh, from "Gift from the Sea", written in 1956.
Do you think she would think it had gotten worse or better? How about your life? To read more about this book, click HERE.
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