Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is 88 years old and has met his fourth wife. The bad news, the kids don’t like her.

Here’s what we know from media reports; Dr. Aldrin has sued two of his (3) children and his former manager. The two younger children, Andy (62) and Jan, 59) asked a court to name them as guardians citing Buzz Aldrin’s loss of cognitive function and dementia. Warrior that he is, Colonel Aldrin (ret) came out fighting! He sued the kids, claimed they had transferred monies from his foundation for their personal use and used his credit cards without his permission and sabotaged his love life. He made an appearance on Good Morning America excoriating his children and accused them of exploiting the elderly.

The ousted manager, Christina Korp, states that “almost a year ago, some people began to exert undue influence on Buzz. These individuals began to actively try to drive a wedge between Buzz, his children and me for what I fear is their own benefit.” She implies that he is demented and therefore he is vulnerable to manipulation. Well, you don’t need dementia to be vulnerable to manipulation! Further, what have she and the kids been doing all these years?

This ‘fight’ is about who gets to manipulate Colonel Aldrin. His estate is valued at approximately $12 million. The two children are paid by the Aldrin foundation, as was the former manager.

Lisa LaBonte met Buzz Aldrin because of their shared interest in STEM education (Science, Technology, Electronics, Mathematics). Apparently, the relationship has blossomed into something more. One can speculate as to her motive but the same can be said for the kids and former manager. Further, Ms. LaBonte works for a living and is not paid by the foundation.

All of this will be solved fairly soon as the “mental health’ tests have been administered and the Courts will review the three different opinions. I’m only sad that a man who gave his life to service for our country (his children did not) has to defend his honor. The children did nothing for the $12 million but now feel as though its theirs to protect. Get over it kids – quit expecting your Dad to support your lifestyle! I say, Buzz Aldrin’s life speaks for itself. Good for him making a last stand – no matter what the outcome!

If you have a rodent problem in your house, you can follow a few simple tips to get them under control. According to statistics, over 84% of homeowners have to deal with some kind of pests every other year. Of all the common pests, rodents are the most common and problematic. By following the right approach, it will be a lot easier for you to get rid of rodents once and for all. In this article, we are going to talk about 4 tips that may help you prevent and control rodent problems. Read on to find out more.

1. Use Mouse Traps

Mousetraps are quite effective when it comes to an easy way of trapping mice in a building. If you like a humane approach, we suggest that you consider bait stations as they can help trap mice in a safe manner.

You can choose from different types of mouse traps. They can lure rodents, trap them and then get them released into the wild. As an alternative, you may go for “snap-style” traps. The good thing about these traps is that they are designed to eliminate pests. These units feature a spring mechanism that opens up a metal bar at a lightning-fast speed as soon as the rodent steps on the trap.

Make sure that you go for the right type of trap and then place them where you spot rodents quite often. An easy way is to look for droppings that may indicate the pathways of rodents.

2. Clean your House

Prevention is always better than cure. So, what you need to do is prevent mouse infestation. In other words, you should try your level best to keep your house as clean as you can.

Generally, mice get into a house when they smell an easy meal. For instance, they may be after the food is stored in your kitchen or leftovers on the grill. If you get these things cleared, you can prevent them from paying a visit to your house.

Also, you need to change your approach when it comes to storing things in your house. In other words, you may want to keep your food in sealed containers.

3. Clean the Garden

It’s important that you get your yard cleaned from garbage and clutter. Similarly, there should be no fallen fruit or dense thickets as they can attract mice. The idea is to clear all of the things that may turn into a tempting source of food or a comfy place for rodents.

For instance, foliage and bushes should be kept far away from where you live. Also, this type of garden addition offers the best shelter against predators.

4. Block the Entry Points

Mice enter a house in many ways. The fact of the matter is that they may squeeze through small holes around your house. Also, there can be tiny gaps around the doorframes and windows.

So, what you need to do is identify these holes and get them sealed or shut. In this case, you may want to pay special attention to attics, crawl spaces, and basements. You can use steel wool or caulk to fill the entry points.

In short, you can use these 4 methods can help you control rodent infestation in your house.

One thing which happens with almost everyone is that they forget their car keys inside the car. People lock their cars and leave the keys in the ignition. This way it is easier for someone to break inside, get the keys and drive away with the vehicle. It is a real pain for you to get back inside the car and get your keys. You cannot go anywhere without getting your car keys back and that is only possible when you try to break in or get the help of a car mechanic or locksmith. In order to prevent lockouts there are few suggestions listed below.

Do not forget to take keys before leaving home-

Once you plan to leave home, take the car keys with you and once you park and leave the car take the keys out of the keyhole and keep them with you. Instead of leaving the car and forgetting the keys in the car ensure that you have them with you all the time. If you forget to take your keys out and leave, someone will do it for you and take your car away. Once you park the car and turn the engines off, if you hear any beeping once you open the door, it means the car keys are still in the ignition. The beeping sound gives you a reminder to take the keys out instead of leaving them behind. You should always keep the keys with you.

Get a spare key-

In order to avoid any bad event on your way out, make sure you have an extra pair of keys at home. People who have this problem of forgetting things and leaving car keys behind should get an extra pair of keys. This way you can avoid lockouts. You can use this key to unlock your car and get inside easily. But people usually keep this key in their houses; under doormats etc. you need to carry this key with you all the time. Just keep it inside your wallet without any key ring attached to it.

Get your lock fixed-

Car lockouts not always happen because of leaving your keys inside, sometimes it occur due to a defaulted lock. To avoid such thing you should contact a locksmith or car mechanic or else you have to face this issue every time you try to lock your car. There is another option of leaving your car without locking it, but then you do not want to risk losing your car. If someone finds your car unlocked he might try to get inside and steal it. Do not waste time and get the lock fix before it’s too late.

Attach a noisy key ring-

Do attach some noisy key rings with your spare keys and even with your original car keys in order to avoid losing them. If incase, your keys ever fall to the ground you will be able to notice it immediately due to the noise they make.

Recheck your keys-

Keep on checking your keys after every few hours, if they are still on you or not. Keep them in a fixed spot so you know where they are.

Approach the party crashers politely and calmly: By reacting harshly you could set off a potentially violent incident; it’s always best to remain calm and not lose your cool. Be aware of their demeanor and behavior: Are they friendly and respectful, or intoxicated and aggressive? How they carry and present themselves will be key to your handling of the situation.

Ask them how they heard about your party: The answer to this question can help you to decide whether or not to allow them to stay. Were they invited by another guest? Did they just walk by and come in? This information can also help you to know whether to expect other uninvited guests or a repeat situation later in the night.

Decide if it’s worth it to kick them out: If the party crashers are friendly and you would like them to stay, everybody wins – and you may have made some new friends! It this is the case, welcome them and have a good time, knowing your party is clearly the place to be!

If you would like the party crashers to leave:

Remain calm. As the host and person in charge, it is your duty to keep a level head.

Expect resistance or combative behavior

Explain (politely) to the unwanted guests that this party is by invitation only. They should get the hint.

If all else fails, try this last-resort trick: In some cases, the truth is not always the best policy; One trick that works wonders for clearing out uninvited guests is to tell them that you just got word that the cops have been called and are on their way. This often happens with large parties, usually on behalf of an irritated neighbor or in some cases, even the host’s housemates. After privately telling your close friends and in-control (and invited!) party guests what is going on, make it seem like now that the police are officially involved, the party is over. Have people start shuffling toward the door and appear to be heading out. Most overzealous party crashers do not want to consciously test the limits of the law during their night out, so chances are they will call it a night and leave willingly.

Prevent party crashers from ruining your night by:

Making it clear in the invitation or to your friends whether they may invite others.

If the party crashers seem dangerous or are armed, call the police immediately

Hire some mega- muscle for the night: Professional security guards or bodyguards are trained to deal with these types of situations, and above all else, provide priceless peace of mind that you, your property, and your guests are protected, in the event that your party is so cool it just had to be crashed.

The foundation of a home is the first part of a home built when one is constructing a home. If the foundation is not constructed correctly the integrity of the rest of the structure will be compromised and can lead to major issues and very costly repairs. Here are the reasons this happens and then tips to help prevent damage to your homes’ foundation.

Home owners primarily need to be able to control and limit the amount of water that can accumulate near the homes foundation. This can be done in several ways. The installation of a french drain system, proper grading of the soil and paved areas, and the proper use of gutters and downspouts.

The first method of protecting a foundation listed was the installation of a french drain system. This is better done at the time of construction when the area near the base of the foundation is still exposed. It basically consists of a drain line that will collect water and then direct that water away from the home to a lower level or to a storm drain. If planned at time of construction this is easier to do. After the home is built and a lower area of the yard is not readily available the water can be directed to a gravel filled pit in the ground in which the water will then be absorbed in to the soil at a location away from the foundation.

If the home is already constructed with the foundation base not easily accessible then then controlling rain runoff is the next best method for foundation protection. Even if a home is constructed with a drainage system near the foundation it is important to control rain.

Water weights approximately 8.5 pounds per gallon. An average rainfall can result in hundreds of pounds of water running down gutters and downspouts. Hundreds of pounds of weight pushing against your foundation can result in cracks,leaning and bowing. If the water pooled up against your foundation freezes the problems are worse. Water expands when it freezes so the pressure against your foundation is even greater.

To control water runoff from the roof every home should have gutters and downspouts installed. The important aspect of the gutter system that is often ignored and frequently found during home inspections is that the downspouts do not direct the water away from the foundation far enough. Downspouts without proper extensions will focus runoff to specific parts of the foundation. Always have downspout extensions that take the water far from the foundation.

Related to downspout extensions for water control is the slope of the ground surface on the exterior of the home. This includes paved areas as well. It should slope down and away to help keep water from accumulating near the foundation.

With these tips you should be better informed on how to protect and maintain the foundation of your home.

Delphinidin is a powerful anthocyanin and phytonutrient (a group of plant based nutrients that are not essential in humans but offer numerous health benefits). It has been provisionally linked with preventing heart disease and various other health disorders. In this article I will be discussing delphinidin in greater detail, outlining the main health benefits and focussing on the richest food sources.

1) DISCOVERY:

Delphinidin was discovered in 1938 by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi along with the other flavonoids (a group of phytonutrients which include anthocyanins). Upon discovering the flavonoids, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi believed they were vitamins and named them vitamin P. However, it was later discovered that flavonoids were not essential in humans and not technically vitamins.

2) MAIN FUNCTIONS:

Research has shown that delphinidin is a powerful antioxidant and can protect the body’s cells from damaging free radicals (harmful by-products that are released during oxygen related reactions and can contribute to the development of cancer, contribute to the development of diabetes and damage the body’s cells).

Early studies also suggest delphinidin may act as an anti-inflammatory (a substance that reduces inflammation in the body), prevent atherosclerosis (a condition where hard plaques form in the artery walls and restrict the flow of blood), prevent cancer (a disease which causes cells to grow in a rapid, uncontrollable way) and heart disease.

3) FOOD SOURCES:

Berries are 1 of the best sources of delphinidin around with bilberries containing 161.93 milligrams (mg) per 100 grams (g), blueberries containing 47.4mg per 100g and cranberries containing 7.66mg per 100g. Other fruits and vegetables such as black beans (11.98mg per 100g), cowpeas (94.6mg per 100g) and eggplant (13.76mg per 100g) are also a very good source of this anthocyanin.

4) DELPHINIDIN SUMMARY:

Although the majority of research available on delphinidin is still only provisional, the early signs are very promising. So start taking advantage of this powerful anthocyanin today and eat more berries. Not only will this give you all the benefits discussed in this article but it will also supply you with a healthy dose of other vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Berries are a very versatile fruit so even if you are not currently eating them they can be easily incorporated into your diet. They can be mixed with yogurt to create a healthy breakfast or snack, placed in a bowl with fruit juice to create a berry based fruit salad or eaten on their own between meals.

Crawl spaces are a very important part of your home and could be costing you thousands of dollars each year without your knowledge. Your home works as a system, and that system plays a dramatic and important role that has the tendency to affect the entire structure of your home. Your crawl space could begin to develop black mold or dry rot if the proper steps are not taken to protect it. These elements could cause your home to experience structural problems or structural weakening, and this could cause foul odors, as well as affect children and adults suffering with breathing difficulties and asthma.

Moisture Sources

A majority of homeowners overlook windows, doors and vents as a possible source of moisture. By properly sealing off all windows, doors and vents, you can help prevent cold air, moisture and humidity from entering your crawl space. With the proper process, your crawl space expert can protect your home, reduce your monthly cooling and heating costs, saving you and your family money.

Structural Weakening

Structural weakening should be a huge concern to every homeowner. To protect your home from structural weakening it is highly recommended to schedule routine examinations. A large majority of homes that have structural problems or structural weakening show signs of uneven or warped floors and noticeable cracks on the interior walls, usually on dry wall or sheetrock, and damaged or rotted floor beams and floor joists. Structural weakening is caused by moisture, dampness and wetness in your basement. Sagging, uneven or warped floors are a very common problem, and caused by moisture in your crawl space. If this occurs it is best to resolve the problem before it becomes too significant. It is less costly to make small repairs than it is to replace an entire foundation.

Foul Smells, Odors and Mold

Typically basements and crawl spaces tend to be dark, cold, damp, occupied by bad smells and foul odors, and hazardous mold can develop. A majority of the time foul odors or bad smells coming from your crawl space is a sure sign your home has a hidden problem with mold.

There are various forms of mold that can quickly invade your home. The most effective way to rid your crawl space of foul odors and bad smells is to clean your space regularly, perform routine inspections looking for sources of dry rot or hollowed wood, and by using products recommended by your waterproofing contractors.

It’s best to find an expert that has a way of protecting your home from the elements that can take a toll on your home and your health, with the best and most proven products for long lasting crawl space solutions.

Solution

The best and most effective way to protect your home from moisture is to contact a certified crawl space contractor in South Carolina. A certified contractor will complete an on-site inspection, provide a professional consultation, provide a free estimate and recommend the best and most cost efficient way to solve the problem, discuss your options and give you plenty of time to make the best decision.

Make It A Ritual!

If part of your household maintenance plan does not include cleaning dryer vents then it should. Every year there are over 15,000 home fires caused by dryer fires with over 300 injuries and leading to 30 deaths. Not cleaning dryer vents also causes 90 million dollars in damages in the United States alone. Based on these statistics, it is important for every homeowner to be aware of the recommendations and procedures for cleaning dryer vents that will keep them safe and comfortable in their home for years to come. Take a look at these important questions about cleaning dryer vents and facts to consider when you are deciding how to do it, when to do it, and who should do it.

What Are Clues Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning?

If your dryer is taking longer to dry a load than it used to, then the vents may need cleaning. As a general rule, dryer vents should be cleaned every six months. A simple reminder is to start cleaning dryer vents the same day you change your clocks for daylight savings.

What Is The Purpose Of Cleaning Dryer Vents?

As your clothes dry, they produce lint, and the lint trap doesn’t catch all of the lint that goes through your dryer. By cleaning dryer vents that are outside of the lint trap, you are removing this excess lint.

Where Are The Dryer Vents?

When cleaning dryer vents, you need to make sure you clean the vent located at the rear of your dryer, as well as the route of the piping to the outside of your home.

Should I Clean My Vents On My Own?

You can easily hire someone, or if you are comfortable and willing to purchase the proper tools, you can easily clean the dryer vents yourself. You can find tools at hardware and home improvement stores, or online made specifically for cleaning dryer vents. When cleaning dryer vents, you will need a circular or horizontal brush that is on the end of a plastic/metal pole or durable line. Ask a professional to help you find the best tool to match your dryer’s needs and shape.

Take this simple step towards fire prevention in your home that will go a long way toward keeping your family safe.

The Announcement That Started It All

Last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it will stop reimbursing hospitals for treating eight reasonably preventable conditions – including pressure ulcers – in October 2008. That simple announcement has put hospitals across America into a state of anxiety and with good reason. Up until now, the majority of hospitals focus on the treatment of pressure ulcers and the extreme pain and life-threatening infections that follow, rather than preventing them.

Which is understandable, since the number of hospital patients who develop pressure sores has risen by 63% over the last 10 years and nearly 60,000 deaths occur annually from hospital-acquired pressure sores.

But that’s not the only toll. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average stay for patients admitted to the hospital for treatment of hospital-acquired pressure sores was 13 days, with an average cost of $37,500 dollars per stay.

Unless hospitals can afford to continue simply treating pressure sores as they occur without Medicare to subsidize their costs, something must be done. Pressure sores can initially develop when the blood supply to a patient’s skin is cut off for more than two or three hours, or is aggravated by constant pressure on the skin and tissues.

When a patient is immobile or has difficulty moving after surgery or procedures, even the slightest friction burns created by bed sheets, wheelchairs or other surfaces can quickly turn into pressure ulcers. One problem, is that pressure ulcers can initially be hard to identify, sometimes looking like nothing more than a pink or red spot on hard to see areas like skin folds or bony protrusions.

And when they do occur, complications such as bone, blood, and skin infections, can quickly develop. Not only do patients suffer; but so do hospitals – treating pressure sores often costs more financially and in personnel hours than the measures that could have prevented them. That doesn’t even take into account the cost of litigation hospitals and care facilities can face, for putting their patients at risk when pressure ulcers develop.

So what can we do? We need to put proactive medicine to work by transforming our basic pressure sore protocols into pressure ulcer prevention programs.

I know what you’re going to say. Your facility already has a program in place to identify patients who are at risk to develop pressure ulcers. Maybe you even have a wound management professional to treat patients and instruct your staff on proper procedures. But as hospitals across the country have seen, if pressure ulcers are still occurring, following basic protocols may not be the answer.

For example, Thibodaux Regional Medical Center in Louisiana already had a better than average pressure ulcer rate. But when their quality improvement data detected an increase in the ulcer rate in late 2003, they decided to launch a Six Sigma project to address the issues. After examining the data, they were surprised at the outcome. First they determined that the tools they had been using to analyze their care were unreliable. Second, some preventative measures they relied upon, like using a specific type of patient bed, wasn’t having as much of a positive effect of patient outcomes as small improvements had.

For example, the way smaller tasks were performed on the nursing floor. The recommended changes that came out of the project included simple shifts in procedure including reorganization of wound care products on nursing units and creating task lists for CNAs.

Additional solutions included:

• Posting a turning schedule in patient rooms to identify need and document results of Q2H turning of patient.
• Unit educators to address skin issues during annual competency testing
• Reporting on patient skin issues during shift changes

The result? A sixty percent reduction in the overall nosocomial pressure ulcer rate, with an annual cost avoidance of about $300,000. The best way to create and implement a new pressure ulcer prevention program is to model the successful programs instituted by other hospitals, and recreate that success in your own facility.

That’s why our organization has created a databank of information on pressure ulcers, causes, treatments, successful prevention programs, six sigma projects and even products other facilities and patients have found helpful. It’s a great place to start.

So how does your facility rate? Can your patient’s pressure ulcer rate be improved? Now is the best time to find out. With a little analysis, research and a good deal of planning and implementation, you’ll be ready and able to give your patients the best skin care available. And that is what good medicine is all about!

There are many possible injuries one could potentially get as a result of playing badminton. The common ones are lower back pain, sprained ankle, tennis elbow and ligament tear.

If you are a serious badminton player, you should take precautions to prevent these injuries. The more intense you are during your game, the higher chance that you’ll get these injuries.

1. Warm Up/Warm down and Stretching

The reason why professional badminton players spend about 30 minutes in total to warm up/warm down is because they know the risks involved if they skip their warm up sessions.

Failure to warm up and stretch before exercise might result in muscle pulls. Not only does warm up and stretching help prevent muscle pulls; it will also help increase your performance when you play.

Therefore, do not get too eager to start playing when you reach the badminton court. Spend a few minutes to warm up and stretch so that your muscles are loosened and are more flexible during your badminton session.

2. Correct Technique

It is also important that you perform the right badminton techniques at all times. Performing the wrong techniques not only makes you perform poorly, you might get injured!

For example, the non-racket arm plays a very important role in helping you maintain body balance in badminton. It’s important at all times that you use your non-racket arm to balance the weight of your racket arm.

If you execute a badminton jump smash without using your non-racket arm to maintain balance, there’s a high chance that you will injure the muscles around your waist, hence causing lower back injuries.

Similarly, doing the wrong badminton strokes might cause you exerting unnecessary strength. This might make you pull a muscle.

3. Use the Correct Racket

Using the wrong badminton racket is a common cause for injuries. Seek advice from the racket dealer or any professionals on what racket best suits you.

For example, choosing a racket with a heavy head (power racket) might cause shoulder injuries to beginners. Power rackets are difficult to control and require the user to have good badminton strokes technique.

4. Correct String Tension

Similar to choosing the right badminton racket, you must use the correct string tension!

Higher string tensions are for control. Lower string tensions are for power.

Most professional players use string tensions above 30lbs (very high tension).

It is good for you to choose between 20-26lbs. Remember, the higher the string tension, the less power in your stroke. This results in a higher chance of getting injured while trying to put in more power into your strokes.

5. Right Badminton Shoes

You should get a pair of badminton shoes. Badminton shoes are specially made to absorb shocks and impacts.

The way the game of badminton is played is harmful to the knee cap. You must get shoes that are good shock absorbers to prevent injuries on your knee cap and your shin bone.

6. Do Not Play for Too Long

Too much of anything is not good. This common expression applies to badminton too.

Playing badminton for long hours will hurt your shin bone/knee cap/ankle as you continuously lunge forward to receive the shuttle.

Lunging forward is harmful to your dominant leg as it will need to absorb all the momentum from your lunge. That’s why the right badminton shoes helps reduce the impact.

Conclusion

Overall, like any other sport, injuries can be prevented easily if you take the necessary steps to reduce the chance of injuries.