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Archive for 2013

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

Are you looking to fertilize your garden but want to shy away from the harsh chemicals of traditional fertilizers? Using salt in the garden might be your answer.

What Epsom Salt Can Do For Your Garden

Using Epson salt — which is salt in its natural mineral form — is a practice which has been utilized by organic gardeners for a long time. Epsom salt is rich in both Magnesium and Sulfate. These are two minerals that plants and some flowers can put to good use, making for thriving, lush, green plants in the garden. Magnesium is key in seed germination and plays a role in photosynthesis. Sulfate is also important in the production of chlorophyll.

Adding Epsom salt is important, because these minerals are not always naturally found in the soil at sufficient levels.

Applying Epsom Salt To Potted Plants

While expert plant growers continue to debate on whether salt really aids the growth of plants, adding salt to a garden or potted plants is easy and certainly will not present any negative side effects.

You can add salt to potted plants to help them grow better. To apply salt to potted plants:

1. Dissolve two tablespoons of Epsom salt for every gallon of water.

2. Put this water/salt solution in a watering can.

3. Pour the water on the potted plants. Water your plants with this mixture for about a month to give them a chance to absorb the water and minerals of the Epsom salt.

Using Salt to Plant Plants In A Garden

Using salt in the garden when you first plant your plants is ideal. The salt can be most effective when the plant is in its early stages. To do this, simply spread around 1 cup of Epsom salt per 100 square feet of soil. This is done before you install any of your plants. Work the salt into the soil and then place the plants. This will hopefully help young plants and germinate seeds.

Finding Help In The Garden

Professional landscapers know how to maintain beautiful looking yards and gardens. If you a need help from a local landscaper, use TalkLocal to find one. Once you submit your inquiry, we’ll have you on the phone with someone who can help within 90 seconds.

Posted in Landscapers | No Comments »

How To Correctly Perform A Crunch

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

A crunch is one of the most popular abdominal exercises out there, and one that personal trainers use to whip their trainees into shape. It’s not as intense as a full sit up, but it offers a lot of the same benefits. No matter how many of them you do, you won’t enjoy the benefits unless you know how to correctly perform a crunch. The guide below can help you with just that.

How To Correctly Perform A Crunch:

1. Start by lying on your back and looking towards the ceiling. Make sure you’re lying evenly and not tilting your body in any way. You want your weight to be evenly distributed. Try lying on a thin mat if the floor is too hard for you.

2. Bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Bend your knees in a way that is comfortable and natural feeling. They don’t have to be completely bent so your calves are touching your thighs, but they need to be raised more than a few inches off of the ground.

3. There are multiple ways to use your arms while doing crunches. You can lace your fingers behind your head, cross your arms over your chest or make fists and keep your arms straight down at your side. Most beginners feel that keeping their arms crossed over their chest is the easiest way to avoid hurting their neck or trying to use their hands to pull themselves up.

4. Now that you’re in position, you want to use your abdominal muscles to pull yourself up. Make sure you’re moving through your shoulders. Basically, move by lifting your shoulders off of the ground. One big mistake to avoid is moving your neck to crunch up. Don’t do this. Use your shoulders and keep your neck straight and as still as possible to avoid injury.

5. You don’t have to come up all the way to your knees. Come up about half way or as close as you can get, hold it for a quick second, and slowly lower yourself. Repeat this as many times as you can.

Remember that crunches tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles, but healthy eating is perhaps the most important factor for getting and staying in shape.

Feel The Burn With A Trainer

If you need help with diet and exercise, you may benefit from hiring a personal trainer. Talk Local can help you find those fitness professionals in your area to get you on the road to a more fit, toned you.

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Show A Little Appreciation This Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

The loving human mother is an especially amazing specimen. Her highly-evolved offspring requires among the longest incubation period of any species. The nutrient deprivation and extended period of vulnerability inherent in this process alone is daunting, even if infants were born walking and nearly self-sufficient, like other offspring.

Instead, the trajectory of post-natal development rendered this impossible, even for our primate ancestors. Add to that the unique demands of civilization, and you have a highly-involved breed of mothering which often becomes a fixed pattern of behavior for life. What makes this even more astonishing is that, due to a complex brain structure, the human mother is uniquely unrestricted by mere instinct. She is freed from the reigns of genetically prescribed behavioral patterns; so love is nature’s only possible weapon to ensure the caring sacrifice of a mother for her child — so integral to the continuance of our species.

Let’s show all of the mothers in our lives a little appreciation this Mother’s Day, and every day. You could even treat your mother to her own special day, fit with flowers, a day at the spa, her own personal chauffeur for the day, or a full, professional cleaning of her home.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Seva Call Team

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Recycling Plastic Grades

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Lately, it seems everyone is working harder to do the right thing and recycle to help our planet flourish. It can get hard, though, when you don’t know if you can even recycle something. You don’t want to throw it out if it could be recycled, but you don’t want to put it in the wrong space. With so many types of plastic, knowing how recycling plastic grades work can help make your life a lot easier.

There are seven different types when it comes to recycling plastic grades, which can be found somewhere on your plastic (usually the bottom) inside of the little recycle triangle made of three arrows. The grades are:

PETE or PET: These are made with polyethylene terephthalate. These are usually water bottles, soda bottles, peanut butter jars, etc. These can be recycled into new containers, polar fleece, carpet, and even more. They can be tossed in any commercial recycling bin or picked up by your neighborhood program.

HDPE: These are made with high-density polyethylene. They’re really thin and used for things like plastic bags, yogurt jars, etc. They can be tossed in any commercial recycling bin or picked up by your neighborhood program.

Vinyl or PVC: This type is usually used for holding household cleaners. They are not often recycled, but some centers will take them; you’ll need to call your local recycling center and inquire. They can be recycled into a few products, but they release a lot of toxins from the chemicals, which makes recycling by melting very dangerous.

LDPE: These are made with low-density polyethylene, which means they’re very thin. This is the type of plastic from which shopping bags come. These are not commonly accepted by curbside programs, but most grocery stores which use them offer drop-off locations.

PP: This plastic is made of polypropylene. This is what condiment bottles, straws, and medicine bottles are typically made of. More often than not, curbside programs will accept it.

PS: Made of polystyrene, these make up styrofoam cups, egg cartons, and carry-out food containers. These can be recycled, but rarely are they. You’ll have to inquire with your local program to find out.

Miscellaneous: This is pretty much anything else. Rarely can these items be recycled.

Contact A Garbage Removal Expert

If you need more information on whether other common items can be recycled, or if you need assistance with garbage removal, we’ve got you covered. At TalkLocal, we take the work out of your search. That way, you can get your work done and focus on what really matters.

Posted in Garbage Removal, talklocal | No Comments »

What Is Active Release Chiropractic Therapy?

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

If you have experienced chronic headaches, back pain or an injury that seems to have hung around, you may be researching treatments and ask yourself: What is active release chiropractic therapy?

Active release therapy, also known as “Active Release Treatment (ACT),” is a patented method of relieving a variety of soft tissue ailments. It is noticeably different from other forms of massage therapy.

It was designed in 1991 and patented in 1995 by a chiropractor named P. Michael Leahy and is now a verified method of treatment that many chiropractors and other health professionals certified in soft tissue treatment are able to attain training in.

What Purpose Does ACT Serve?

ACT is designed to break up scar tissue in overworked or injured muscles as well as to alleviate over-tightened or shortened muscles that may be causing nerve pain. Additionally, the treatment is able to clear adhesions to tendons, muscles, and other soft tissues.

How Does It Work?

The treatment works in phases. The practitioner will stimulate and stretch the affected area in a variety of tested ways. By the final phase, the patient will help by actively stretching and moving the area while the practitioner applies tension at specific locations. Greater success has been shown when the patient is able to participate in his or her own recovery.

What Can It Treat?

Active Release Chiropractic Therapy can treat many soft tissue problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and other peripheral nerve entrapments, spinal pain, or dysfunction, in addition to tendonitis and other inflammatory problems of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Additionally, sufferers of TMJ, sciatica, and sprains and strains that tend to reoccur have seen improvement.

Where Can I Get Treatment?

Only those licensed in ACT will fully be able to answer the question: What is active release chiropractic therapy? It is different from any other massage therapy techniques and is usually administered by a qualified chiropractor. To find one, try out TalkLocal’s free service. We’ll locate a professional in your area at no cost to you.

Posted in Chiropractors | No Comments »

How To Remove Paint From Glass

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

It happens to the best of us: while trying to freshen up the trim around your windows, you unknowingly splatter paint on the glass. It’s a common mistake, after all, you’re probably not a professional painter.

If you realize the misstep, a quick swipe with a wet cloth can remediate the problem right away. But what if you are on a roll and just don’t see it? You may be left wondering how to remove paint from glass. Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

How To Remove Paint From Glass

1. Determine the type of paint (i.e. acrylic, latex, oil-based). Often the paint can will include a label with information on chemical solutions that will remove the paint.

2. Use a straight razor blade to lightly scrape off the paint. If possible, use a piece of cardboard to lightly press on the other side of the glass to prevent breaking. Rather than rubbing the blade, this step should focus on lifting the paint. When the blade gets dull, replace it. Pressing harder may break the glass.

3. If paint remains, use the correct chemical solution for your type of paint and apply according to product directions.

4. After removing the chemical paint stripper, wash the window with soap and water prior to applying a chemical glass cleaner. You do not want the chemicals of the stripper to mix with the chemicals of the cleaner, as it may create harmful gasses.

5. If small flecks of paint still remain, your razor should be able to remove them fairly easily.

Th-s process may be a bit time-consuming and require some elbow grease, but the result is a sharp, clean look to your home. After going through this process once, you will never again need to ask how to remove paint from glass because the process is relatively simple. You also may consider hiring a professional painter to avoid the issue next time altogether.

Further Assistance

If you are still having trouble, or have a massive project to tackle, you may consider hiring a professional handyman to remove the paint. TalkLocal can find you one in your area for free.

Tags: glass, paint removal, painting, remove paint from glass
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How To Repartition A Hard Drive In Windows 7

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Disk partitioning is useful for a lot of things and is made possible quite easily with Windows 7 and Vista. The actual act of partitioning is separating a hard drive into multiple volumes. This is useful because it allows data on one volume to be stored and accessed independently from another. This mean if something happens to the partitions index file you can still reboot from another partition.

How To Repartition A Hard Drive In Windows 7

The first thing you should always do is back up your important files so that in the event that something goes wrong, you can recover any desired information. Here are the steps on how to repartition a hard drive in Windows 7.

1. Go to the Start Menu, right click on Computer, and select Manage.

2. Next, go to Storage and select Disk Management. This will show you all of the storage space that your computer can access.

3. Select the hard drive that you want to partition, right-click, and select Shrink Volume. This will scan your drive to show you how many megabytes you have available in storage space.

4. Next, type in the amount of space you want for the partition (Note: 1024 MB = 1 GB).

5. Now you’ll see the partitioned segment you just created, which will be unallocated. Right-click and select New Simple Volume.

6. The New Simple Volume Wizard should pop-up. This wizard allows you to specify a drive letter, mounting and formatting options, as well as the option to rename the volume. Click finish and you’re all set. You have successfully repartitioned your hard drive.

You can also check out the Microsoft Windows online forum for further questions with repartitioning a hard drive.

Need Help With Your Hard Drive?

If you have a Mac or another operating system and this tutorial is not an option for you, don’t worry. Simply go to the TalkLocal website and submit a request. In seconds, you will receive from calls from up to three local computer repair technicians who can provide you with professional assistance.

Posted in Computer Repair | No Comments »

Pets For An Apartment

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Before you consider getting any pets for an apartment, carefully read your lease and consult your landlord. Many apartments do not allow pets, or have restrictions on pets. If you are allowed to have a pet, verify which animals are permitted and which are not. In general, small, quiet animals are good apartment pets.

Fish

Fish are probably the best apartment pets because they do not take up space, they are relatively low-maintenance, they are cheap, and they are quiet. Your neighbors and your landlord will never know you even have pets! The most common fish that are kept as pets are goldfish and betta fish. You may keep several goldfish in the same fish tank, but you must always keep betta fish separated from all other fish—even from their own species! Betta fish are beautiful but fierce, and will kill any fish that is near it.

Rodents

Hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, and rabbits are apartment-friendly pets. They are small and easy to take care of. Just be careful to not let it out of its cage or out of the apartment. Some of them, like rabbits, can be trained to use a litter box, which is useful for cleanup. Rabbits need space for exercise and play time, so make sure they can hop around.

Amphibians and Reptiles

While you may scare your neighbors and guests, amphibians and reptiles are cool apartment pets as long as they stay in their tank. Frogs, geckos, lizards, and snakes are silent and fascinating to watch. If you are bold and daring, these are the pets for you. Make sure to keep a weight on top of their tank, as some of them can escape.

Cats

If you are looking to cuddle your pet and not keep it caged, cats are great pets for an apartment. Although they can be more expensive than the aforementioned animals, cats are fun pets. Cats are also more hands-on than other pets, so they require attention and play time, as well as exercise.

Birds

Birds can be good pets, but they can also be loud. Some birds chirp and squawk loudly, which might annoy some of your neighbors.

Dogs

Dogs usually need space to run around or else they get bored and chew up your apartment. Also keep in mind that many apartment buildings have restrictions on the breed and weight of your dog. “Aggressive” breeds like German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans are frequently prohibited from apartments. Some apartments even require that you dog weigh less than 20 pounds.

Properly Care For Your Pets

Make sure you have a reliable veterinarian to take care of all of your critters. TalkLocal can help you find quality vets in your area. Just tell us what you need and your availability, and we will connect you with up to three veterinarians for free!

Posted in Veterinarians | No Comments »

Chromebook vs. Tablet

Friday, May 10th, 2013

With all of the advancements technology has made, you may find yourself stuck in between two very good choices. The battle of Chromebook vs. tablet has become a popular one for technological warriors lately after new developments for both. So how do you pick? Well, honestly, your choice depends on your individual needs.

Chromebook vs Tablet – Your Options

Chromebook

This is basically a small laptop created by Google, partnered with Samsung and Acer. Right now, the most recent upgrade is the Series 5. This computer runs on Chrome OS — Google’s operating system — which is known for being the first OS heavily based around Cloud storage. Chromebooks only have about 16 GB of storage, but that’s because everything else is stored in the Cloud.

You Would Want A Chromebook If:

– You want a full keyboard.

– You do a lot of work that needs to be saved and accessible from anywhere.

– You often have Internet access. Chromebooks, being centered on Cloud storage, require Internet access in order to access a lot of other things. You can use a Chromebook without Internet, but doing so long-term would defeat the purpose of the Chrome operating system.

– You are willing to get used to a new OS other than Windows or Mac. Although it has been called user-friendly, it is still new and different.

Tablet

Tablets are touch screen pads with no keyboard attached. They come from multiple brands and typically run either Android operating systems or Windows. However, Apple does have a tablet called the iPad. The iPad runs on a Mac OS.

You Would Want A Tablet If:

– You need something highly portable. Tablets are very light and easy to move around. Even with a very durable, protective case on them, they’re not very bulky or heavy.

– You will truly utilize the touch screen interface. If you want a keyboard for your tablet, you’ll need to purchase it separately, so being able to use the touch screen keyboard proficiently will really benefit you.

– You don’t need a lot of memory. Especially compared to the Chromebook, which has loads of memory through the Cloud operating system, tablets can’t save a lot of data. However, if you want to save your work and then transfer it online or elsewhere, you’re good to go.

For Help Deciding Or To Fix Problems With Your Chromebook or Tablet

There are many variables that come into play when you’re deciding Chromebook vs. tablet. It all depends on what you need and why. If you need help deciding, or just want more information, let us know. At TalkLocal, we thrive on taking the work out of your search for local professionals.

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Forensic Accounting In Divorce Engagements

Friday, May 10th, 2013

Divorces are rarely easy. There are often messy disputes over assets and income that need to be resolved. In many marriages, it is not uncommon for one spouse to have control over finances, which could leave the other spouse at a disadvantage in divorce proceedings. In such cases, lawyers frequently seek the help of forensic accounting in divorce engagements to support their clients.

What Is Forensic Accounting?

A forensic accountant is able to discover things that one spouse may prefer to keep hidden. He or she can uncover hidden assets, money, and even if assets had been sold in anticipation of a divorce. Some of these activities can border on fraud, and it is the job of the forensic accountant to determine what is hidden in order to determine the severity of the offense.

How They Help

In many cases, one spouse is dependent on the other. In divorce proceedings, lawyers often fight for their dependent client to be compensated fairly. This amount can vary greatly depending on the other spouse’s income and assets. If income or assets are being hidden, the amount the dependent spouse receives will be much less than it should be.

If you are among the many people going through a divorce and are concerned your spouse may have hidden something from you, you should consider forensic accounting in divorce engagements. Remember to judge whether hiring a professional is worth it.

If the amount you will benefit does not equal the amount you must pay to the accountant, it clearly is not worth it.

Use Seva Call To Help

A qualified professional lawyer and accountant can usually consult with you to determine if the service is required. TalkLocal offers a free service to put you in touch with one of these individuals at no cost to you. Our service is very quick and incredibly easy.

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