An artist needs his easel, paints and brushes to create masterpieces, a weaver needs colorful threads to knit intricate designs, and cooks need good cookware to churn out delicious food. Unlike the olden days where there was a limited choice, the market today is filled with an array of designer pots and pans in various metals shapes and sizes.

Choosing cookware can be an easy affair if you run through a checklist before doling out cash. Cooking habits play a major role in deciding your cookware. For example, go for cast-iron sets if you like to blacken and sear food. Cast-iron cookware provides even heat and is incredibly durable. Opt for non-stick pans if you like less oil or want to heat sticky food like rice. The quantity of food consumed in your house also plays a role in deciding your cookware. If you have a large family you will like to own big pots, while a small family will have medium or small-sized utensils. Once you have these requirements clearly sorted out in your mind, you can allocate your budget accordingly.

There are various metals that are used in making cookware these days. Cast iron, stainless steel, copper, aluminum and tin are some of the popular ones. Most common and low-maintenance cookware is made from stainless steel. Though pots made from aluminum are the least expensive, they are less durable and discolor with some kind of acidic food. Vessels made from copper provide the best heat conductivity.

Caring and maintenance is required to provide a long and useful life to your utensils. Always allow your fry pan to cool before washing or soaking. Drying your pots immediately after washing will prevent having water spots. Do not leave your cookware exposed to flame or a heat source without food or liquid inside.

Digital Subscriber Line, abbreviated DSL, is a technology that brings high bandwidth information for businesses and homes over copper telephone lines. A digital subscriber line can deliver information hundreds of times faster than ordinary dial-up modems, thus reducing the time needed to download data files, web pages, animations and graphics. Generally, the download speed of DSL ranges from 128 kbps (kilobytes per second) to 6000 kbps. The change in the download speed depends on the DSL technology and service level implemented.

DSL is a broad term that consists of various variations - SDSL (Single-line Digital Subscriber Line), 1.5 Mbps; Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), ranging up to 1.5 Mbps; Very high-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL), ranging up to 2.3 Mbps; High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL), 1.5 Mbps; and Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (RDSL), diverse speeds. A digital subscriber line facilitates separate channels for fax and voice. Hence, faxes and phone calls can be carried simultaneously with high-speed data across the line.

DSL technology was founded in 1988, when a group of engineers invented a method to transfer digital signals through the unexploited frequency spectrum available on the twisted pair of cables that run between a customer’s home and the telephone company's telephone exchange. Employing DSL technology in the telephone line provides digital communication without disturbing the voice services. DSL gained prominence in the late 1990s, when major cable television providers started marketing broadband Internet access. Today, Digital Subscriber Line is the main competition for cable modems in offering high speed Internet access to homes in North America and Europe. The latest standard ADSL2+ can provide more than 20 Mbit/s over about 1.2 miles.

Nowadays there are various types of DSL services tailor made for consumer needs. The main differences in these packages involve speed and how the direction data is delivered. For example, ADSL can provide higher data rates towards the subscriber than it does in the other direction. ADSL is perfect for home users who download information from the Internet. The symmetrical high-speed DSL is an ideal package for enterprise subscribers, who continuously send and receive data, or for those businesses that may need a two-way communication like videoconferencing.

Where are the hot and cold spots around the world for resource investors? The stampeding bull market in commodities has investors reaching for new ideas. Highly respected newsletter writer Lawrence Roulston of “Resource Opportunities” favors Canada, Alaska and China for investing in mining and energy companies.

StockInterview: Let’s get the cold spots out of the way so investors are forewarned about which countries to avoid.

Lawrence Roulston: A lot of the (mining) companies that went overseas in decades back are recognizing the political difficulties with dealing in some jurisdictions. These include places like Indonesia, Columbia, and several of the African countries, such as Congo, Sudan and Eritrea. All of those places where there are great geological prospects, but are more and more risky to deal in. I think some of that mining is coming back closer to home, which is right here in Canada.

StockInterview: So Canada is on your “favorite countries” list?

Lawrence Roulston: At the very top of the list would be Canada. As of right now, taking into account the geological potential, political situation, infrastructure and all the other issues, I would (highly) rate Canada and British Columbia. They have had decades of work. But for the last decade, there hasn’t been very much going on. The companies are just coming back and picking up with what’s been going on. Similarly, Ontario, Quebec – tremendous geological potential – and it’s been kind of ignored for a long time. Canada is now the most important place in the world for diamonds, representing 50 percent on exploration spending for diamonds.

StockInterview: Is there a specific mineral or metal that makes Canada especially appealing?

Lawrence Roulston: It’s the whole gambit. Canada has always been one of the top metal producers, and it’s coming back to life. Of course, gold is at the top of the list, but also base metals and uranium. The Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan is far and away the most important area to be looking at, geologically. It’s currently the biggest source of uranium and contains the highest grade deposit. There are other uranium prospective areas in Canada that are just emerging. The Thelon Basin in the Northwest Territories, north of the Athabasca Basin, is very similar, geologically, to the Athabasca Basin. It had some work done in the 1970s, and it’s been pretty much ignored until very recently. Going a little further north to Hornby Basin, it is a similar kind of situation. In Labrador, the central mineral belt is just emerging as a very important place to be looking for uranium.

According to the World Nuclear Association, 21 percent of the world’s uranium production came about from ISL mining in 2004. We conducted interviews with some of the world’s top ISL experts, including the father of ISL, to help you better understand how uranium is currently mined for the world’s nuclear power plants.

It’s time to rewrite the history books. In Situ Leach Mining (ISL), or Solution Mining, was not first commercially started in Bruni, Texas in 1973 by Westinghouse, a consortium of oil companies and others. The birthplace of ISL was never South Texas, as some have claimed. It was begun in Wyoming, about 16 years before an ISL operation was started in Texas. Why there has been a whitewash over the true history of ISL is not our concern. This series is an in-depth investigation into how and why ISL mining came about, how it has been tested over a period of nearly 50 years, and why this type of uranium mining will play an important role in providing U.S. utilities with the raw fuel to power nuclear reactors for the next few decades.

In this modern era of uranium mining, extremely skilled engineers, hydrologists and geologists establish ISL mining operations. Most insiders compare an ISL operation to a water treatment plant. It’s really that simple to understand. However, as with every modern industrial operation, the roots of ISL mining came about in a less genteel or sophisticated manner. In 1958, Charles Don Snow, a uranium mining and exploration geologist employed by the Utah Construction Company, was investigating a Wyoming property for possible acquisition for his company. During the course of that visit, he discovered a new method of uranium mining and helped pioneer its development into the modern form of ISL.

Since 1957, R.T. Plum, president of Uranyl Research Company, had been experimenting with a leach solution on his property at the Lucky June uranium mine. “They mixed up the sulfuric acid solution and just dumped it on the ground, and soaked it through the material and collected it in a little trench at the end,” Charles Snow told StockInterview. It wasn’t very scientific. Snow added, “They were just learning how, and I observed it and thought that the application could be made through some of the ore that we had in the Lucky Mc mine.” The company was mining uranium this way because it was below the grades miners were used to, when mining. As Snow noted, “It was not worth mining.” But it was practically at the surface. He explained what they were doing at the Lucky June, “There was an area where uranium leached out to the surface in a small area, and it had a clay under-bed. These people put solutions onto the surface, collected the solution, and ran it by resin beads to absorb the uranium.”

While they only recovered about $3600 worth of uranium, roughly 600 pounds, Snow was impressed. He later wrote an inter-office memorandum in July 1959, with the subject header: “Recovery of Uranium from Low Grade Mineralization using a leach in place process.” In his conclusion, Snow recommended, “From the preliminary information available, it appears that it will be possible to treat very low grade mineralization for recovery of uranium at a large net profit.” He explained the process to his bosses, encouraging them to consider this as an option:

There are many factors to consider when it comes to arthritis pain relief. An arthritic diet is certainly one such factor. However, the term arthritis covers over 100 different diseases and conditions and there are many arthritic diets that may affect individuals differently depending on the type of arthritis. It would be impossible to cover all of different types of arthritis in this article, but we will look at the most common arthritis conditions: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia.

It is well know that those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis pain have an unusually low blood zinc level. Several independent studies have been conducted where rheumatoid arthritis patients have been given increased doses of zinc and showed marginal improvement, yet the tests were not extensive enough to be conclusive. Also, the effects of copper on rheumatoid arthritis have been studied for a long time, and although research studies vary, there seems to be some case for using copper to relieve suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

While many medical experts dismiss copper therapy, it is suggested that if you do attempt copper therapy, that copper-rich foods are utilized instead of copper supplements, because copper supplements can cause side effects which include change in sense of taste and smell, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abnormal blood clots, increased joint pain, chills, anemia and kidney problems. Furthermore, excess copper can cause cirrhosis of the liver in patients prone to Wilson’s Disease.

If you have decided to use copper therapy as a way to combat rheumatoid arthritis pain, there is an extensive choice of foods you can enjoy in order to increase your copper intake: lamb, pork, pheasant quail, duck, goose, squid, salmon, liver, oysters, scallops, shrimp, lobster, clams, crab, tofu, nuts, and soy milk are just a few of the foods that are rich in copper.

As for foods to avoid when suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, many nutritionists and naturopaths suggest avoiding dairy products all together, as they seem to exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups. Also, one should be discouraged from taking doses of vitamins that are higher than recommended without a physician’s direction. Some vitamins and minerals can actually worsen certain conditions and the concentration that can be attained through vitamins can be dangerous. It is much better to approach any desired increase in vitamin or mineral intake through food therapy.

In terms of relieving pain for those who suffer from osteoarthritis there has been some success with the food supplements glucosamine and chondroitin. These supplements can be found in pharmacies and health food stores, however the purity of the products or the dose of the active ingredients cannot be specified because the FDA does not monitor these supplements. The National Institutes of Health is studying glucosamine and chondroitin, so more should be known about the effectiveness of these products for osteoarthritis in the near future. Patients with osteoarthritis taking blood-thinners should be careful taking chondroitin as it can increase the blood-thinning and cause excessive bleeding.

A kitchen can be more than just about its role in function, organization and efficiency. Kitchens need a personality and a look and feel that can liven up the senses in addition to being a functional place for the preparation of food.

The French Country Kitchen design is one of many classic kitchen design themes that you could consider. It can provide your kitchen with a traditional look that has its roots in the hillsides of rural France. It is a style that can fit into both rural farmhouses and in the grandest chateau.

French country kitchen design conjures up images of the Provence and the French countryside with its pastoral settings, lavender fields and rustic French farmhouses. The French country kitchen represents country living that is uniquely French. In designing your French country kitchen design you discover that the French country look is always very rustic, old and warm.

There are many elements that go into the French country kitchen including the use of large pieces of furniture made mainly of light colored woods and can be decorated with ornate carving.

Color & French Country Kitchen Design

Color is an important place to start the design process. You can draw inspiration from some of the principle French impressionists like Monet and Renoir, Van Gogh.

Colors that are used in the French country kitchen style can include sunny yellow or soft gold, bright red and rust, grass green, cobalt blue and soft ocean tones.

You can decorate in the style of the French country kitchen design by using vivid colors - poppy red, sunflower yellow, bright blue, meadow green, and sunset purple. Your walls and cabinets and large furniture can be painted in off white, ivory, light beige, and taupe. Cabinets can be painted a glossy white to brighten light-filled spaces in the kitchen or they can be left as natural wood. These colors can provide a light, airy feel so you do not want to use strong colors here. In fabrics such as curtains and seat cushions you might also add paisley, stripes and floral prints to your French Country Kitchen theme.

Natural Materials

Natural materials are an important element in walls, cabinetry and furniture that is used in the design of French country kitchens. The materials used in creating a rustic French country kitchen look include natural stone floors, granite counter tops and tumbled marble back splashes. These natural materials can be used on walls and beamed ceilings, and can be rough stained or painted plaster, or wood painted in natural colors. Floors can be made of stone or brick and covered with wool or cotton rugs, a fireplace made of stone with a heavy beam that can serve as a mantel, and wooden shutters as window coverings. Furniture and cabinets can have a rustic or even a distressed look. Countertops can be done in ceramic tile with tile back splashes.

Accent Pieces

In French country kitchen design you will find that tile, rustic urns, hand-painted European ceramics and pottery accents are used extensively. Ceramic tiles and terra cotta pottery pieces are used wherever possible. Add copper pots and a French country kitchen can can encompass many old world decorating colors.

A kitchen can be more than just about its role in function, organization and efficiency. Kitchens need a personality and a look and feel that can liven up the senses in addition to being a functional place for the preparation of food. The French Country Kitchen design is one of many classic kitchen design themes that you could consider. It can provide your kitchen with a traditional look that has its roots in the hillsides of rural France. It is a style that can fit into both rural farmhouses and grand chateaus.

The materials used in creating a rustic French country kitchen look include natural stone floors, granite counter tops and tumbled marble back splashes.

Some individuals enjoy bird watching but prefer to do their bird watching in their back yard. Below is some advice on attracting wild birds to your back yard.

Firstly it depends upon having wild birds in the general area where your house is located and then you can attract then to your backyard.

The method used to attract the birds will depend upon what is the diet of the bird. If the bird is a nectar feeder e.g. bananaquits or hummingbirds, then large flowering plants will attract them. Hummingbird bills are perfectly adapted to the various types of flowers that they feed on, so different types of flowers will attract different hummingbirds. Some hummingbirds have especially curved or elongated bills that allow them to feed on special flowers, eg the White-tipped Sicklebill hummingbird whose downward curving bill allows it to draw nectar from heliconias. The Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird has a short and slightly decurved bill that is suited to feeding on the flowers of the ixora shrub. The Blue-tailed Emerald has a short bill that is suited for feeding on the Hibiscus flower. The Copper-rumped Hummingbird has a straight long bill that allows it to feed on medium sized tube shaped flowers such as the allamanda. Hummingbirds have little or no sense of smell, so colour is important to a hummingbird's search process for locating flowers containing nectar. While they will visit any flower that has sufficient nectar they prefer flowers that are red to orange in colour. It is believed that this colour preference is due to the fact that red flowers standout in a green background and so are more easily seen by the hummingbird. It is also believed that because hummingbirds compete with insects for nectar they choose flowers that are less likely to be visited by insects. Most insects do not see well at the red end of the colour spectrum and so may not visit red flowers while hummingbirds see the full visible spectrum.

If space in your yard is very limited, preventing you from having large flowering shrubs, an area to consider is the curb area between your property line and the roadway. You can plant small flowering shrubs such as the miniature ixora, which will then attract nectar feeding birds to your property.

For birds that are fruit eaters, the presence of ripe fruit will attract and so having fruit trees will attract birds. The majority of trees however only fruit once per year for a few months, so the attraction is not year round. If your garden has sufficient space then multiple fruit trees that bear at different times in the year will ensure a continuous bird presence. One tree that bears fruit for a very extended period is guava and so can attract birds for most of the year. Trees are also an attraction to birds because they provide nesting and resting sites. If you have the palm trees that people usually plant in from their houses that will generally attract Palm Tanagers who will feed on the small nuts, use material from the tree for building their nests and may also nest in the tree.

Are you finding that there is a room in your home in which you just don’t feel comfortable or that all your arguments happen in one particular room? This could be due to a bad flow of harmony which is what Feng Shui helps to balance.Feng Shui is pronounced "fung shway" and Feng Shui means wind and water.This is an ancient Chinese art for living in harmony with your surroundings. It is the art of placing particular elements and colors to achieve positive and negative (yin and yang) flow in certain areas of your home or office to achieve the balance of energy (also called the flow of chi) in any given space. Feng Shui can facilitate the balance of issues such as: health and family, wealth and prosperity, fame and reputation, love and marriage, children and creativity, helpful people, travel, career, knowledge and self-cultivation. Feng Shui Examples:Metal produces water... like a cold can of soda makes condensation when it is in a warm environment. Water gives life to wood. Without water wood would perish.Wood is fuel for fire. I think we all know how this one works.Fire helps to create the earth. The earth’s core produces volcanic activity which changes continuously, thus creating more earth.Earth provides metal. As everyone knows, metal comes from the earth (i.e., copper and lead).The Cycle Continues:That takes us full cycle – back where we began. Many spiritual cultures refer to this as “the circle of life”.In other words, Feng Shui is the practice of using nature to achieve complete balance.Is Your Environment in Balance?Now think about this. What if one of those elements was to disappear? What would happen?Answer: Nature would be out of balance and havoc would result (i.e., if there was no source of water). We, of course, would not survive. Without water, wood would eventually die leaving no fire. Without fire, there would be no earth leaving no metal. No metal - no water. While this may seem somewhat convoluted, the cycle is simple to understand.Take a look around your home or office. See if you are missing one or more of these elements or have an abundance of only one Feng Shui element in your home. Again, if you have no water, let’s say in your bedroom, consider your bedroom out of balance. Maybe your love life is not doing so well or you’re not sleeping well. The lack of the water element could be the problem. Try putting a small fountain in your bedroom and see if this helps. Yup! It can be as simple as that.

Goji, which is known as Lycium Barbarum in Latin, is a berry found in the Himalayas and has been held in high esteem throughout the ages for its nutritional benefits and health giving properties. This alkaline berry has been consumed in China and the Himalayan regions for close to 3000 years. The nutritional benefits of Goji juice are being corroborated and confirmed by research and clinical studies. Studies with elderly people and those suffering from general debility have shown that consuming Goji juice can lead to a three-time increase in the T-cell transformation functions and the white cell interleukin-2 count can double. This opens up the possibilities of extracting even greater benefits from this berry, particularly for fighting tiredness, improving the working of the immune system, preventing the growth of free radicals, etc. The key nutritional ingredients of Goji juice are the glyconutrients that provide eight essential sugars required by the human body for growth. The 22 phytonutrient compounds present in Goji juice facilitate intercellular communication. The health benefits of Goji juice are enumerated below:· Goji juice is a powerful antioxidant that counters premature ageing· Increases resistance to disease· Helps to regulate blood pressure· Minimizes the risk of cancer by preventing DNA mutation, inhibiting growth of tumors, and by controlling the peroxidation of lipids· Regulates blood-sugar during the early stages of diabetes· Has a positive effect on vision, heart, relieves headaches and insomnia· Regulates weight· Promotes sexual health and improves fertility· Helps digestion and memory functions· Alleviates dry coughThe tremendous health-giving properties of Goji juice can be attributed to its composition; the Goji berry· is rich in carotenoids such as beta carotene and vitamin C· contains germanium, no other fruit is known to contain this mineral· has four important polysaccharides, LBP1, LBP2, LBP3, and LBP4, which offer significant health benefits· provides nineteen amino acids including the eight essential amino acids as well as up to 21 trace minerals including zinc, copper, selenium, phosphorous, etc· has a protein content higher than wheat· contains zeaxanthin, which is good for the eyes· has B-complex vitamins as well as fatty acids· provides Vitamin E, which is not found in many fruits, it is limited to nuts and seeds· contains Cyperone, Beta-Sitosterol, Solavetivone, Physalin, linoleic acid, and Betaine; Beta-Sitosterol has anti-inflammatory properties, linoleic acid aids weight loss, betaine improves the health of the cardiovascular system· has 11 mg of iron per 100 gm of fruitGoji juice is available with several health stores and a lot of these have online shops. The recommended dosage is 2-4 ounces per day; however, there are no known side effects of exceeding the dosage. Most people are able to see and feel the positive effects of Goji juice within one month of regular consumption. The bottled juice sold by health stores should not contain artificial colors or sweetening agents. A one-liter bottle of Goji juice may contain the nutritional equivalent of two pounds of fresh Goji berries.

Your backyard should relax and refresh you, but it should also delight you! Choosing garden art that reflects your personality and makes you feel good is an important key to creating the ultimate backyard.Art can mean many things to many people but basically there are 3 types:1. Formal Art Think larger stately pieces that you see in more traditional backyards, like a classic sculpture of a Greek goddess or a stone angel. Heavy iron garden ornaments like obelisks and sundials also work well with most backyard landscape designs. These pieces create an old-world feel and lend a sense of drama to the yard. Others might include columns, carved fountains, birdbaths, and classical architectural salvage.2. Semi-formal This is the most popular type because it suits so many styles of backyards. It‘s more relaxed in theme, a little more nostalgic and decorative. For example, light hearted sculptures of animals or children in concrete, resin or bronze, contemporary metal sculptures of flowers and insects, stained glass stepping stones, artistic birdhouses, and hand painted garden pots, copper wind chimes.3. Informal Art I call this art “your imagination gone wild”. Everyday objects are placed in the garden to create art that is fun, whimsical, and even campy.I‘ve seen all kinds of items used as garden décor like: old rubber boots planted with flowers, a nostalgic wire bedroom headboard , an antique window frame, an old-fashioned bathtub, a dressmaker’s dummy, and fancy china plates.Remember that the type of art you choose should be in keeping with the feel of your backyard but it should also be an expression of you.The most important thing is that you should feel some emotional attachment to your garden art.Tips for placing Garden Art In the garden, art becomes a focal point. Your eye is naturally drawn to it and it commands your attention. So where you place it is important. Put garden art:• In a boring, bare part of the yard to add interest and stimulate conversation• At the end of a path to add drama• In any area to add comic relief. I have a cute bronze frog lying on a back on a lily pad beside my waterfall and pond.• In front of an ugly spot to hide dead patch • Directly in line with an unwanted view of the neighbour’s yard to create privacy• On a wall or fence to visually break up the long monotonous line. I have a beautiful concrete painted face hanging on one part of my fence and a mirror hanging on another to add interest.• In front of a colourful burst of foliage to punctuate the space. My classical white bird bath looks gorgeous just in front of my huge pink rose bush• Hidden behind some greenery so it just peeks out a little to create a feeling of antiquity. This will put plants in the spotlight.• Within the frame of a beautiful view to enhance the view even more. My backyard is on the lake and the view is made even more beautiful by a large fountain of Poseidan the sea God that we have made part of the view.• In a rock garden to create feeling of garden gallery. The rocks are natural pedestals for the art and create a wonderful playground for eye to bounce around in and land on art.

Don't get lost in the hardware. Take along a roadmap and avoid these ten common mistakes when choosing those cabinet fittings. Mistake #1. Not Spending Time Choosing the Right Hardware. Okay folks, picture this: You're redoing a gorgeous kitchen in what was an adobe vacation cottage in Taos New Mexico, and which is now your first new home. It has a domed ceiling and birch wood trim all along the outline of the plaster walls. Floor to ceiling windows bring the vast desert landscape with its painted mountains right into your kitchen.While at the showroom looking over cabinet models you see the street scene through the storefront window and think that through your kitchen windows you see a genuine natural masterpiece. Just then the salesman mentions choosing a cabinet color. You order a sage grey finish to complement and cool the stark landscape through your windows. It's the perfect touch that will please you for years.Then he asks about the hardware. What kinds of knobs and hinges to put on your masterpiece? On the sample board it is immediately apparent that all the knobs and hinges have nothing to do with that lingering fantasy involving the continuity of cabinet coloring and view. They would just distract. Except for the white ceramic knobs that hint at the clouds over the mountains.Customize that hardware to your specifications. Since most cabinets are custom or semi-custom, picking the right fixtures should be the customers choice not the factory's.Mistake #2. Choosing The Most Popular One.When you get a look at the sample board of knobs, pulls, and hinges, catches and fasteners don't get dazzled by the fashion statement and forget that you're choosing a drawer pull not a piece of jewelry. The intent is to blend into the overall design of your kitchen, not overwhelm it. That's not to say you can't have any fun; Save that whimsy for the closets and drawers of the children's room, and maybe the kitchen after a few years when you might want to brighten up a drab ho-hum feeling. The first choice should be with an eye on enhancing and supporting overall design. Traditional kitchen cabinets look best with dull, or matte finished metal hardware in stainless steel, nickel, pewter or brass in traditional even shapes. Usually only a modern motif with a lot of stainless steel accents and sharp angles can incorporate shiny chrome, polished or enamel hardware in unusual designs.Mistake #3. Picking The Wrong Type of Hinge For Your Cabinet Design. Cabinet hinges not only open and close cabinet doors, they also hold the doors to the cabinets. Doors are literally "hung" onto the hinges. Therefore they have to be strong enough to bear the weight of the door.Height and weight of cabinet doors determine how many hinges you need. For a cabinet door less then 40 inches high and less then 11 pounds, two hinges are sufficient. For a door 40 - 60 inches high and 13 - 20 pounds, three hinges are needed. For a door 60-80 inches high and 29 - 33 pounds, for hinges are required. For a door 80 - 85 inches high and 40 - 48 pounds, five hinges are necessary. If too few hinges are installed onto heavy doors, too much stress is put on the hinges under repetitive use and the hinge and door will either break or pull out. make sure to pick the right size hinge for your door's weight and height.

Both the strength and beauty of a dry wall may be enhanced by using it as a wall garden. It may acquire a mossy and aged appearance simply by planting flowers, herbs, or ground cover in the soil in the crevices. A greater degree of color can be obtained, however, by planting any of several flowering plants, whose strong roots will serve the additional function of holding the wall together. Typical plants which may be used to good effect are: such flowering types as azaleas, alyssum, evergreen candytuft, heather, phlox, garden pinks, sedum. snowy rock cress, and creeping veronicas; such spreading plants as lavender, moss, phlox and hardy verbenna; small rosettes and little tufts that need sun and room for roots like sempervivium, dwarf iris, dwarf pinks and yarrow; and the plants you can grow from seed sown among the rocks such as bleeding heart, some ivies and varieties of poppy and phlox. Semperviviums, azaleas, prostrate junipers and dwarf azaleas keep a bank or rock wall green all winter.Decorating the garden wall can be a challenge. You can choose from faux materials like fiberglass, copper or brass wall decor, and a wide assortment of terracotta decorative items, including plaques. Many bird feeders or bird houses are suitable for wall mounting. Our personal favorite, however are garden wall fountains. This is especially suitable for smaller yards, where a large stand-alone fountain just won't work. Most modern garden wall fountains are self-contained, that is, they require no special plumbing. Water simply recirculates from the basin, up through the back of the fountain, and cascades down the decorative facade, back into the basin. The pump is normally the same class fountain pump as an aquarium pump. Two things to look for in the pump are speed and noise. Choose fountains whose pumps are variable speed and quiet. You want to hear the water, not the vibration of a low quality pump. Garden wall fountains can be made from many materials, but the most popular are made from fiberglass, cast stone, or copper.

When comparing high performance vs. standard replacement parts, it is of extreme importance to weigh performance and durability against value and cost. Long term costs of replacing OEM items with low-priced “budget” items or after-market replacement parts can, in many cases lead to higher consumer long-term costs. It can also lead to irreversible damage to primary and connected related systems. Obviously, if a replacement part is of lower quality and of shorter durability, it will need to be replaced more often. There are costs associated with the labor to replace these parts more often, as well as time lost for actually doing the work of replacing an automotive component. There are other "hidden" costs as well associated with this practice. They may not be costs in cold, hard cash out of pocket, but they are costly, nonetheless. A good example of this is simply shopping around for spark plug wires for my old Buick. I got in the habit of replacing the wires at least once a year, sometimes more if a problem arose. I go to the Internet and find several varieties of options online and I read the descriptions of what my choices are. They look like this:Description: Taylor Cable 69.95 8mm Street, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, SST, Blue, Tin Coated Copper Braid, Non RFI, Blue Double Spring Locking Spark Plug Boots, High Temperature Rated To 550 Degrees, Competition Looks, GROUND SHIPPING ONLYDescription: OEM 37.41 Premium Wire Set, Spark Plug Wire Set, OEM Fit And Quality 37.41Description: Taylor Cable 29.95 8mm High Energy, Ignition Wire Set, Custom Fit, Blue, High Temperature, Oil Resistant, RFI Suppression, 100% Silicone Boot Ends, Double Spring Locks At Plugs, GROUND SHIPPING ONLYThe first thing I notice is the huge difference in price, and like any good spendthrift, I am drawn to the cheapest spark plug wires available. Ignoring the statements about temperature ratings and RFI, I immediately think to myself, without any further research, I may want to buy the bargain set of wires. But then I think I want good wires, and the OEM brand is only eight dollars more. These are the spark plug wires that came with my vehicle, so they must be what I need. I buy them online for $37.41, have them shipped to my house and install them on my vehicle. I take my old car for a ride, to see how much better it is going to run with the new wires on it. I notice it doesn’t run any better, as a matter of fact, it now has a slight miss in the engine. So I turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle and make sure everything is connected properly. The miss isn’t there anymore when I start the vehicle back up, so I am happy. I turn the radio on to listen to some tunes on the way back to the house, and I can hear the sound of my engine “running” on the radio, like a whining sound, drowning out a portion of the music.