There is no shortage of examples of the Profit Motive gone awry. While not essential to the cause, a co-conspirator with the profit motive is the idea of Maximizing Profits. After all, if the goal is to make money, why not make as much of it as possible? Maximizing profits can have a very da
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07/31/2014
Politics, ego and selfishness all play roles that sometimes blur the more altruistic desire to do what is right for the planet, the country, and our families. In the widest of contexts, most people involved in the Green Movement are well meaning, well intentioned, thoughtful and serious folks.
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07/27/2014
“Access and working space shall be provided and maintained about all electrical equipment to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of such equipment.” This is from the National Electric Code, and for the purpose of today’s discussion relates to electrical panels---the place where your
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07/26/2014
I was a design build general contractor for more than 30 years and I have been a home inspector for more than 10 years. I have seen a lot of interesting things in houses over all those years. At a recent inspection, I found a type of window installation from the 1930’s that I had never seen be
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07/24/2014
Part of the way that Merriam Webster defines “luck” is: “the accidental way things happen without being planned.” People talk about luck, whether it is about being “lucky” or about being “unlucky.” I find the whole notion of luck fascinating from a psychological point of view, because luck ca
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07/21/2014
When “fixing” something, it is important to do the whole job or you might as well forget doing it at all. Someone knew enough to know that combustion by-products should not be allowed to enter the building but apparently they ran out of duct tape. The fact that duct tape is no solution at
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07/20/2014
We have likely all been there. We slip our shoes (or boots) on and instantly realize within a couple of steps that there is something besides our foot in there. We may even attempt to wiggle our foot or do some other dance to move the offending impediment to some other location, so that we don’t
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07/17/2014
Many people think of skylights as past, present or future leaks. Actually, a skylight that is properly flashed is no more likely to leak than any other thing attached to your roof. Chimneys and pipe flashings can leak too---when they fail. The roof itself can leak if the covering itself fails
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07/12/2014