Barrie Home Inspector

Home Maintenance and Tips for Home Owners

Tag: United States

Communication in the 20th Century

Personal Interest, Real Estate

Communication in the 20th Century.  Communication begins for all of us when we are too young to speak but convey our messages by facial expressions.  This method is known as pre-verbal communication.

Language it the vehicle which allows people to communicated their thoughts and ideas to other people and through print to save those ideas and not only share them with their contemporaries but to pass them down to the generations to come.

In the early 1800’s the electric telegraph made long distance communication possible.  In the 1870’s the telephone was also developed making communication in local areas possible which then spread to connect larger area and eventually the world.

Fewer than five years after its introduction, over 47,000 telephones were being used in the United States. The growth of these communications media accelerated the pace of social interaction, migration, commerce, and government activities.

In the 20th century the radio was invented and this allow an increased mobility for communications, such as ship to ship and police department broadcasts.  When the vacuum tube was invented radio then became capable of international communications.

Use of electronic surveillance for legitimate purposes such as intelligence and law enforcement investigation, as well as for illegitimate purposes, spurred enactment of a number of laws intended to comprehensively address such activities. Congress enacted the first federal wiretap statute as a temporary measure to prevent disclosure of domestic telephone or telegraph communications during the First World War.

Satellite communication became a reality in 1962 with the launch of the first communications satellite into space.  It was the first satellite to receive, amplify, and simultaneously re-transmit signals from earth. The development of satellite communications allowed greater volumes of communications worldwide.

The Internet is a globally distributed network comprising many voluntarily interconnected autonomous networks. It operates without a central governing body. However, to maintain interoperability, all technical and policy aspects of the underlying core infrastructure and the principal name spaces are administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), headquartered in Marina del Rey, California. ICANN is the authority that coordinates the assignment of unique identifiers for use on the Internet, including domain names, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, application port numbers in the transport protocols, and many other parameters

Thanksgiving – The Tale of Two Holidays

Personal Interest

TThanksgiving – The Tale of Two Holidays. he United States and Canada both celebrate Thanksgiving on different days. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving in Canada falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Most people celebrate the holiday on the weekend closest to day that Thanksgiving falls on.

Thanksgiving in North America had originated from a mix of European and Native traditions. Typically in Europe, festivals were held before and after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest, and to rejoice together after much hard work with the rest of the community.

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. There is also evidence for an earlier harvest celebration on the continent by Spanish explorers in Florida during 1565, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony.

The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing their food with the indigenous peoples of the area. Champlain had also proposed for the creation of the Order of Good Cheer in 1606. This ceremony was many years after the original started in 1578 by Frobisher.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century. Prior to Canadian confederation, many of the individual colonial governors of the Canadian provinces had declared their own days of Thanksgiving. The first official Canadian Thanksgiving occurred on April 15, 1872 when the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wales’ recovery from a serious illness.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

Thanksgiving in the U.S. is based on the The Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast – including 91 natives who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true “thanksgiving” observance. It lasted three days.

What is Radon – Is It in Your Home

Home Inspection

What is Radon –  Is It in Your Home
Radon is a gas produced by the radioactive decay of the element radium. Radioactive decay is a natural, spontaneous process in which an atom of one element decays or breaks down to form another element by losing atomic particles (protons, neutrons or electrons). When solid radium decays to form radon gas, it loses two protons and two neutrons. These two protons and two neutrons are called an alpha particle, which is a type of radiation. The elements that produce radiation are referred to as radioactive. Radon itself is radioactive because it also decays, losing an alpha particle and forming the element polonium
Elements that are naturally radioactive include uranium, thorium, carbon and potassium, as well as radon and radium. Uranium is the first element in a long chain of decay that produces radium and radon. Uranium is referred to as the “parent” element, and radium and radon are called “daughters” or “progeny.” Radium and radon also form daughter elements as they decay. The progeny of radon are called radon decay products, or RDPs.

The decay of each radioactive element occurs at a very specific rate. How fast an element decays is measured in terms of the element’s “half-life,” or the amount of time for one-half of a given amount of the element to decay. Uranium has a half-life of 4.4 billion years, so a 4.4-billion-year-old rock has only half of the uranium with which it started. The half-life of radon is only 3.8 days.

If a jar were filled with radon, only half of the radon would be left after 3.8 days. But the newly-made daughter products of radon (or RDPs) would also be in the jar, including polonium, bismuth and lead. Polonium is also radioactive. It is this element which is produced by radon in the air and in people’s lungs that can hurt lung tissue and cause lung cancer.
Radioactivity is commonly measured in picocuries (pCi).

Because the level of radioactivity is directly related to the number and type of radioactive atoms present, radon and all other radioactive atoms are measured in picocuries. For instance, a house having 4 picocuries of radon per liter of air (4 pCi/L) has about eight or nine atoms of radon decaying every minute in every liter of air inside the house. A 1,000-square-foot house with 4 pCi/L of radon has nearly 2 million radon atoms decaying inside it every minute.

Radon levels in outdoor air, indoor air, soil air and groundwater can be very different. Outdoor air ranges from less than 0.1 pCi/L to about 30 pCi/L, but it probably averages about 0.2 pCi/L. Radon in indoor air ranges from less than 1 pCi/L to about 3,000 pCi/L, but it probably averages between 1 and 2 pCi/L. Radon in soil air (the air that occupies the pores in soil) ranges from 20 or 30 pCi/L to more than 100,000 pCi/L; most soils in the United States contain between 200 and 2,000 pCi of radon per liter of soil air. The amount of radon dissolved in groundwater ranges from about 100 to nearly 3 million pCi/L. Natural Radiation Exposure

Since the beginning of time, all living creatures have been exposed to radiation. We live in a radioactive world. There are many natural sources of radiation which have been present since the Earth was formed. In the last century, we have added somewhat to this natural background radiation with artificial sources. However, the naturally occurring sources contribute about four to five times more radiation than human-made sources.

The three major sources of naturally occurring radiation are:

• cosmic radiation;
• sources in the earth’s crust, also referred to as terrestrial radiation; and
• sources in the human body, also referred to as internal sources.

Cosmic

The Earth and all living things on it are constantly bombarded by radiation from space, similar to a steady drizzle of rain. Charged particles from the Sun and stars interact with Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field to produce a shower of radiation, typically beta and gamma radiation. The dose from cosmic radiation varies in different parts of the world due to differences in elevation and to the effects of the Earth’s magnetic field. Cosmic radiation comes from the Sun and outer space, and consists of positively charged particles, as well as gamma radiation. At sea level, the average cosmic radiation dose is about 26 millirems (mrem) per year. At higher elevations, the amount of atmosphere shielding cosmic rays decreases and, thus, the dose increases. The average dose in the United States is approximately 28 mrem per year.

Terrestrial

Radioactive material is also found throughout nature. It is in the soil, water and vegetation. Low levels of uranium, thorium and their decay products are found everywhere. This is called terrestrial radiation. Some of these materials are ingested with food and water, while others, such as radon, are inhaled. The dose from terrestrial sources also varies in different parts of the world. Locations with higher concentrations of uranium and thorium in their soil have higher dose levels.

The major isotopes of concern for terrestrial radiation are uranium and its decay products, such as thorium, radium and radon.

There are natural sources of radiation in the ground, rocks, building materials and potable water supplies. Radon gas is a current health concern. This gas results from the decay of natural uranium in soil. Radon, which emits alpha radiation, rises from the soil under houses and can build up in homes, particularly well-insulated homes. In the United States, the average effective whole-body dose of radon is about 200 mrem per year, while the lungs receive approximately 2,000 mrem per year.

Internal

In addition to cosmic and terrestrial sources, all humans are born with naturally occurring radionuclides, such as Potassium-40, Carbon-14, Lead-210, and other isotopes. The variation in dose from one person to another is not as great as the variation in dose from cosmic and terrestrial sources. The average annual “dose” from internal radioactive material is about 40 mrem.

Ionizing Radiation Exposure to the Public

This chart shows that of the total dose of about 360 millirems per year, natural sources of radiation account for about 82% of all public exposure, while man-made sources account for the remaining 18%.

Government of Canada Radon Guideline
Did you know?
The Canadian guideline for radon is 200 becquerels per cubic meter, If the radon level is found to be high, it can be fixed.
Health Canada collaborated with the Federal Provincial Territorial Radiation Protection Committee (FPTRPC) to review the health risk from exposure to radon. The risk assessment is based on new scientific information and was the subject of broad public consultation. Using the risk assessment and feedback obtained from the public consultation, the Government of Canada is updating its guideline for exposure to radon in indoor air. This updated guideline provides advice that is more broadly applicable and more protective than the previous FPTRPC guideline.
The Minister recommends that
• Remedial measures should be undertaken in a dwelling whenever the average annual radon concentration exceeds 200 Bq/m³ in the normal occupancy area.
• The higher the radon concentration, the sooner remedial measures should be undertaken.
• When remedial action is taken, the radon level should be reduced to a value as low as practicable.
• The construction of new dwellings should employ techniques that will minimize radon entry and will facilitate post-construction radon removal, should this subsequently prove necessary.
• In addition to residential homes, the term “dwelling” in this guideline also applies to public buildings with a high occupancy rate by members of the public such as schools, hospitals, long-term care residences, and correctional facilities. The following settings are excluded from this guideline:
o Uranium mines, which are regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission;
o Other mines (e.g., fluorspar mines), which are regulated by provincial mining authorities; and
o Other workplaces which would be addressed by existing guidelines for naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). Details are given in theCanadian Guidelines for Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and a copy may be viewed or downloaded.
• The “normal occupancy area” refers to any part of the dwelling where a person is likely to spend several hours (greater than four) per day. This would include a finished basement with a family room, guest room, office or work shop. It would also include a basement apartment. It would exclude an unfinished basement, a crawl space, or any area that is normally closed off and accessed infrequently, e.g., a storage area, cold room, furnace room, or laundry room.
• The aim is to remediate and reduce the radon concentration to less than 200 Bq/m³. If the radon concentration is found to be greater than 600 Bq/m³, the remedial actions are recommended to be completed in less than a year; between 200 Bq/m³ and 600 Bq/m³, the remedial actions should be completed in less than two years.
• “As low as practicable” refers to what can be achieved with conventional radon reduction methods in a cost-effective manner. This is consistent with the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle, whereby reasonable efforts are made to maintain radiation exposures as low as possible, with social and economic factors taken into consideration. In most situations, a final level less than 200 Bq/m³ will be readily achievable. In a small number of cases, it may happen that the application of all reasonable remediation techniques will still leave a residual radon level greater than 200 Bq/m³. It is not the intention of this guideline to recommend excessive or unreasonable remediation costs in order to achieve a marginal increase in benefit. Such situations should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• This Government of Canada guideline is based on the guidance approved by the FPTRPC. The guideline is based upon current scientific understanding. It will be reviewed and updated as appropriate. Further information on the Federal Provincial Territorial Radiation Protection Committee is available.
Brought to you by the Barrie Home Inspector – Your Radon Specialist for Barrie, Alliston, Orillia, Midland, Penetang, Bradford, Newmarket and Aurora

Landscaping Basic Tips for Your Home

Exterior

Landscaping Basic Tips for Your Home. Landscaping is both science and art, and requires good observation and design skills. A good landscaper understands the elements of nature and construction, and blends them accordingly.

Thales, an early Greek philosopher known for his view that “all is water,” spent a considerable time thinking about the nature and scope of landscaping. Some of his students believed that in order for human activity to be considered landscaping, it must be directed toward modifying the physical features of the land itself, including the cultivation and/or manipulation of plants or other flora. Thales rejected this notion, arguing that any aspect of the material world affecting our visual perception of the land was a proper subject for landscaping. Both Plato and Aristotle praised Thales’ analysis as a model for philosophy. In the early 20th century, British philosopher G.E. Moore cited Thales’ reasoning as one of the few historical examples of how philosophical inquiry has led to genuine human understanding and progress.

Landscape architecture is a multi-disciplinary field, incorporating aspects of: botany, horticulture, the fine arts, architecture, industrial design, geology and the earth sciences, environmental psychology, geography, and ecology. The activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of public parks and parkways to site planning for campuses and corporate office parks, from the design of residential estates to the design of civil infrastructure and the management of large wilderness areas or reclamation of degraded landscapes such as mines or landfills. Landscape architects work on all types of structures and external space – large or small, urban, suburban and rural, and with “hard” (built) and “soft” (planted) materials, while integrating ecological sustainability. The most valuable contribution can be made at the first stage of a project to generate ideas with technical understanding and creative flair for the design, organization, and use of spaces.

Good garden centres group plants according to their sun and shade requirements. Trees and shrubs also have light preferences, so read the plant tags and do some research before deciding what to plant. How many of each plant depends upon the size of the space and the width or spread of the plant. There are two schools of thought about how densely to plant a new garden. If you want your garden to look mature and full its first year, you will need to space young plants more closely or buy larger plants. You will get an immediate impact, but you will also need to begin dividing sooner. If you have the patience to allow your garden to fill in slowly, you can leave room for the plants to grow into their new home and fill in temporarily with annuals.

Floriculture crops include bedding plants, flowering plants, foliage plants or houseplants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers. As distinguished from nursery crops, floriculture crops are generally herbaceous. Bedding and garden plants consist of young flowering plants (annuals and perennials) and vegetable plants. They are grown in cell packs (in flats or trays), in pots, or in hanging baskets, usually inside a controlled environment, and sold largely for gardens and landscaping. Geraniums, impatiens, and petunias are the best-selling bedding plants. Chrysanthemums are the major perennial garden plant in the United States.

For your first beginning flower garden, pick a spot that is in full direct sun. It should be sunny all day long or for at least half the day including noontime. Shady gardens can be terrific, but for a first garden with lots of flowers, a sunnier spot is better. First, remove any existing grass or weeds including the roots. The more thoroughly you do this chore now, the better your results will be later. You can dig it out by hand or use a sod cutter; smother it with cardboard or newspaper topped with mulch over several months’ time; or use an herbicide. If you use weed killer, be sure to read and carefully follow ALL of the label directions.

There really is no final choice, since gardens are never finished, but try to be as realistic as you can. Sketching it out on graph paper first, can help you to visualize how your garden will look. This may be the best route to go, but many gardens would never get planted if we waited until we felt things were perfect and it can be hard for a new gardener to equate what’s on paper with reality. Sometimes you just have to get started. You’ll learn as you go. Just make sure that most of your plant choices fit of the criteria you’ve outlined and the growing conditions you have to offer. Try not to squeeze in too many different plants and you’re small space garden should look and grow just fine.

Bank of Canada raises key rate to 1%

Real Estate

Cites U.S. weakness as main risk to Canadian growth

The Bank of Canada raised its target for the overnight rate by one quarter of one percentage point to one per cent on September 8th, 2010. It was the third consecutive quarter point hike. The Bank rate was raised to 1.25 per cent and the deposit rate is now 0.75 per cent.

The Bank noted that, while the global economic recovery is proceeding, it remains uneven. The main downside risk cited in the Bank’s announcement was the recent weakness in the U.S. recovery, saying, “In the United States, the recovery in private demand is being held back by high unemployment and recent indicators suggest a more muted recovery in the near term.”

Owing largely to the weaker profile for U.S. activity, the Bank now expects Canadian growth to be “slightly slower” than it had previously forecast in July. The Bank downplayed the small revision to the outlook, however, saying, “consumption growth is expected to remain solid and business investment to rise strongly. Both are being supported by accommodative credit conditions, which have eased in recent weeks mainly owing to sharp declines in global bond yields.”

While the outlook for the Canadian economic recovery has changed slightly, inflation in Canada has remained in line with the Bank’s expectations. The Bank noted that, while the monetary policy measures undertaken since April have had the effect of modestly tightening financial conditions in Canada, they nevertheless remain “exceptionally stimulative.”

As of September 8th, the advertised five-year conventional mortgage rate stood at 5.39 per cent. This is down 0.1 per cent from a year earlier, and stands 0.4 per cent below where it was when the Bank made its previous interest rate announcement on July 20, 2010. It is also 0.1 percentage points below where it stood at the beginning of the year.

The statement ended with the message, “Any further reduction in monetary policy stimulus would need to be carefully considered in light of the unusual uncertainty surrounding the outlook.” The Bank had previously characterized the uncertainty in the outlook as “considerable.”

Most analysts now expect the Bank to hold off on any further rate hikes this year while it gauges the effects of recent tightening on the domestic economy, and watches the very uncertain situation south of the border. However, the overall tone of the Bank’s statement was more hawkish than expected, and this has led some economists to suggest this may not be the last hike of the year. Much will depend on economic data out over the next month and a half in advance of the Bank’s next decision on October 19th.

The Bank’s next Monetary Policy Report will be published on October 20th. The Bank will make its next scheduled rate announcement on October 19th.

http://creastats.crea.ca/natl/interest_rate_trends.htm

(CREA 09/09/2010)

Barrie Home Inspector © 2013 Frontier Theme