Red Cross offers tips to prevent holiday home fires

The American Red Cross is urging residents to take extra precautions when cooking and decorating around the holidays.

    "Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, and as people are cooking and entertaining this holiday season, we're urging that they take safety measures to ensure that their homes and loved ones are safe from the threat of fire," said Chip Kragt, regional disaster officer for the American Red Cross of West Michigan.

    Christmas Day, Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving are the top three days for cooking fires, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Nationally, the Red Cross responds to a disaster on average every eight minutes, and the vast majority of them are home fires.

    The Red Cross has some simple steps everyone can follow to prevent home fires around the holidays:

    Holiday Entertaining

        Test your smoke alarms.
        Check food regularly while cooking and remain in the home while cooking. Use a timer as a reminder that the stove or oven is on.
        Enforce a "kid-free zone" in cooking areas. Keep children at least 3 feet away from the stove.
        Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stove, oven or any appliance that generates heat.
        Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
        Purchase a fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen.

    Holiday Decorating

        Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
        Keep children, pets and decorations away from lit candles.
        Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet.
        Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini light sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs. Read manufacturer's instructions for the number of LED strands to connect. Some strings of lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
        Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged. n Keep decorations away from windows and doors.

    Citizens may download the free American Red Cross First Aid app, which provides instant access to information on handling the most common first aid emergencies. The apps can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross or by going to

    People also can test their knowledge on how to prevent home fires by taking the fire safety quiz, and can learn more about fire prevention by visiting

    The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. For more information, visit redcross.org or on Twitter at

Affordable Housing: Addressing Long Island's Greatest Challenge

What follows is an introduction to the challenges of providing affordable housing on Long Island, from a land use, urban planning and public policy perspective.
[Affordable Housing: Addressing Long Island's Greatest Challenge]

Long Island, as a region, is far more complex than most give it credit for. Spanning a wide array of socio-economic demographics, New York City’s principal suburb faces a unique challenge in the coming decades: Ensuring the provision of housing options that are both desirable, and affordable to a wide swath of the region’s population.

The provision of affordable housing on Long Island has been called the region’s greatest urban planning failure of the last fifty years. According to pre-recession estimates made by the Long Island Regional Planning Board, the Nassau-Suffolk region needs 41,429 affordable housing units. This figure is especially startling when one takes into account the exponential increases in the price of homes across the area, paired with the rise of the cost of living over the last decades. Areas that once served as the affordable bedroom communities to Manhattan and its environs are now out of reach for young professionals and families. To fully understand the issues surrounding our housing woes, it is necessary to look at both the political climate of Long Island, the needs and wants of residents, and the development process itself.

Urban Planning theory dictates that balance must be struck by three often-conflicting forces: Economics, Social and Environmental. On Long Island, land use and zoning codes are crafted to accommodate the needs of the underlying aquifer system where our drinking water comes from. The reason why so many communities lack the apartments that developers and other involved stakeholders claim the region needs is because the appropriate wastewater systems aren’t in place. Socially, the Island’s communities are strictly divided. A quick drive between Garden City and Roosevelt or Dix Hills and Wyandanch shows how the two ends of the socio-economic spectrum can coexist roughly a mile or two apart. Economically, the job opportunities available to Long Island’s young professionals are few and far between, further exasperating the lingering effects of the recession. Add in homeowners who are wary of change in their community, and the result is the convergence of powerful forces to complicate an already complex policy issue.

Further, the regional discussion on how to nurture affordable development is being led by advocates, developers and other stakeholders who have a “dog in the fight” when it comes to increasing density. We must move away from this stakeholder dominated regional discussion, and get real, data-driven policy analysis by those without bias.

Regionally, it is the job of policymakers and residents to take charge and begin to fully quantify and understand our regional housing problem. First, there must be a clear understanding of what exactly is to be considered “affordable” in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Often, Area Median Income (AMI) is measured in a variety of ways that lump in our unique region with New York City, Connecticut and beyond. What is needed is a standardized approach to assessing AMI which takes into account the economic nuances of Long Island. Next, we must begin to fully quantify how many truly affordable units exist across both counties.

Once these challenges are addressed, Long Islanders can finally get serious about addressing our affordable housing woes.

Right at Home: Tips for a no-fuss Thanksgiving

Preparing a Thanksgiving feast ranks high on the entertaining stress-o-meter.

Expectations, traditions and a home full of guests can make even the most seasoned host lose sleep.

But don’t let the anticipatory list-making, house-fluffing and food preparing become more tiring than it needs to be. Some expert advice and helpful products can make Thanksgiving entertaining more stylish, fun and fret-free.

Kevin Sharkey, executive creative director at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, begins with a why-didn’t-I-think-of-that idea:

“If you have performance anxiety about the day, what if you (threw the party) the night before or after?

Sometimes I think the only reason to have Thanksgiving is to have sandwiches the next day. So have a great lunch or cocktail party instead,” he suggests.

Guests are just looking for a convivial atmosphere, so don’t bother with fancy appetizers.

As Sharkey points out, guests won’t remember the homemade potato chips you slaved over; they’ll remember the stressed-out you.

Serve simple things on interesting plates or in silver bowls, and it all looks special.

For example, West Elm has Shanna Murray’s gold-penned bisque stoneware salad plates. (www.westelm.com)

Instead of a complicated bar, come up with one fun drink to serve as a showpiece, then add a few bottles of wine and sparkling water.

If you’re doing a casual Thanksgiving meal or a lunch, consider setting out an interesting variety of craft beers, as well as vegetable juices and iced tea for the non-drinkers.

Better Homes and Gardens has suggestions for make-ahead nibblers such as mini gruyere puffs that can be made a month ahead and frozen, or mini meatballs in a tangy apricot sauce that can be re-warmed in a slow cooker during cocktail hour. (www.bhg.com)

At Realsimple.com, you’ll find lots of make-ahead appetizers, salads, sides, breads and desserts for Thanksgiving.

If you do plan to host on Thanksgiving day, keep the menu simple.

“No one wants 14 different things. And don’t be ashamed to get certain things from a store, or to ask people to bring something,” Sharkey says.

Oma Ford, executive editor at Better Homes & Gardens magazine, says she’s not usually a potluck fan “but it’s actually a wonderful way to approach the Thanksgiving feast. We often spend the holiday with friends who usually make the turkey and desserts and then ask all their guests to bring a side dish they couldn’t live without.

The sides are really the fun, interesting part of the meal, and with this approach none of the guests feels like they missed out on a favorite or traditional element of the feast.”

Does a friend make awesome mashed potatoes? Is a relative the pie person? Do you have a nearby market that makes yummy stuffing? Ask, order and lessen your workload.

5 Guidelines to Choose the Right Windows for Your Home

The windows in a house are very essential. As you stroll past a shut screen, if you observe an air circulation arriving through it then it's about here we are at screen alternative. Now is enough a chance to do it because screen alternative expenses are very affordable.

Here are 5 tips to help you in deciding on the best windows for your home:

Buy two lite cup windows. This makes a lot of sense no matter where you live. The two window panes make a deceased air space, assisting to both protect and lower air conditioning expenses. It also is essential that these window panes are gas loaded, which will keep fog and wetness from building within the window panes.

Buy Low E cup. This decreases the dangerous UV radiation arriving into your house. There will be less diminishing of furniture shades from the sun’s radiation. Low E cup is a security that is a must for your whole family.

What is the window’s starting style? Think before you choose. Do you want a double-hung screen, or one that slides? Maybe you just want a fixed screen that does not open. Consider the long run and what you will like several years from now.

The be sad gaps should be protected. Every screen has be sad gaps to strain wetness from them. Create sure the windows you purchase have capable or a similar content protecting them to keep bugs out.

Make sure the screen supports are protected. Some screen producers do not protect the inner supports of the windows. The supports should have a froth insulating content, which will help air conditioning expenses.

If you need a screen alternative, get it prior to later because it will both save you a lot of money on your power expenses and increase the value of your house.

Four Essential Guidelines for a First Time House Buyer

If you want to buy your first house, but feel completely confused by thinking of how to go about the whole factor, well you are absolutely not alone. Actually, majority of individuals preparing to buy their first house become quite pressured while trying to understand how to buy properly. A right strategy to the whole procedure can however create factors easier for them. Defined below are four essential guidelines that would save an excellent of your time and keep you stress-free throughout your residence trip. So, try this advice and see how quickly you get through this procedure.

* Arrange finance in advance - Ensure that that you do have a down payment large enough to get a loan. It is also essential to have adequate extra cash, to be able to keep going even if you get captured in an prolonged agreement. Besides, before starting to search homes for sale, do not forget to get a mortgage pre-approval. It could be really frustrating if you realize that you have found your perfect house but the bank is not willing to offer you cash.

* Choose the community properly - It is not just the residence and its features which are essential, the place where it can be found also maintains excellent importance. You need to ensure that the place around your new house has everything that you would need in near future. Things like close by educational institutions, medical centers and range to the actions, closest stores and your office are essential to consider. Choosing the incorrect place can create you repent your decision later. So, be very cautious while considering the place of your new house.

* Talk to your new others who live close by - Speaking with the individuals who are already living in the place where you are preparing to buy a house can be of excellent help. They can provide you a lot of useful information about the place which your agent or source would never give. Talk with at least four to five individuals and try to know factors like environmental disturbance, criminal activity rate, safety in the place etc. Understanding about these crucial factors would help you decide whether or not you should buy a house in that particular place.

* Home examination - Once you discover your perfect house, create sure to analyze it several periods before choosing to buy it. If needed, seek the services of a house examiner to analyze the residence. You would be amazed to see how efficient these experts are in discovering the invisible problems of a house. Many customers analyze the residence only once or twice. However, to be able to determine every little factor that is incorrect with the residence, it is essential analyze it no less than five or six periods. You would be stunned to discover many problems in the residence during your fifth or 6th examination, which you skipped during your past trips. A professional house examiner is well aware of this reality and guarantees to pay the needed number of shock trips to the residence.

So, adhere to these useful guidelines and see how easily you would be able to buy your perfect house.

All Organic Washing Guidelines For Your Home

Numerous individuals don't realize that there are numerous things in the cooler or around the house that might be utilized as a cleaning operator. From lemons to table salt things you wouldn't typically use for clearing can now and then get out a stain that a cleaning executor can't.

Lemons

Ever had the lime scale on your sink and fixtures that either take rancid dye or a great deal of cleaning to take out? Lemon juice is more acidic than for the most part cleaning items and evacuates lime scale rapidly. Simply let sit for a couple of hours then return and wipe off with a material.

While you're in the bathroom cleaning the sink with your lemon, you can utilize lemons to clean your grout moreover. Include a few teaspoons of lemon squeeze to cream of tartar and combine to make glue. You can apply with a toothbrush or whatever possible sort of cleaning get over then wash it with a wet fabric and your grout is perfect.

Table Salt

Oily Pots and Pans could be cleaned a ton simpler with somewhat table salt. Overlook the elbow oil attempt something that is characteristic and dependably around the house. Sprinkle a squeeze of salt on pots and container to ingest the abundance oil. Leave on for only a couple of minutes then dump out the salt and water mixture. Remember this is not proposed for non-stick cooking items -incredible for solid metal.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is made out of a cleanser, a delicate grating and a germ-murdering segment that is incredible in uprooting stains. The old school glue is truly a cut above the more current type of gel toothpaste and gets the plain not the ones that promote better breath or whitening executors. At times these could be pointless excess and harm quality metals. Offer these tips with your companions and add some fun and variety to your cleaning errands.

Guidelines to Help Begin a Company from Your Home

Assuming that you have been recognizing beginning a business and working from your home, there absolutely are numerous things that need to be finished ahead of time with the intention that you can have a great shot at victory. All things considered, numerous individuals that work at home have a demanding time setting aside the time and deliberation that is vital to truly furnish what their business necessities. With a tad of readiness on your part, be that as it may, it is conceivable for you to effectually work at home and to get as much or more fulfilled than you might get achieved in an open nature's turf.

One thing that should be recognized is the solace that you encounter in your home office. A large portion of us have a tendency to need to be as agreeable as would be prudent and even though there is nothing the matter with that, you may discover that you are getting less finished in the event that you are attempting to deal with your couch before the Tv. It's a greatly improved thought for you to have a devoted territory of the home which will be utilized as your office. Attempt to keep it far from the regular regions of the home and keep it in a peaceful area, when conceivable.

The sort of furniture that you have in your home office is additionally set to have an effect in your capability to finish work. Make an effort not to pack the workplace, as that can influence your solace level and restrict the extent you have the ability to finish throughout the day. There are some furniture choices that are accessible which will serve numerous diverse purposes and permit you to have a full office in an exceptionally little range. You can frequently buy the aforementioned as utilized office furniture for a more level cost and provided that you do the workplace furniture introduction without anyone else's help, you will discover that you are sparing supplemental cash.

Have you examined your new business step with everybody in your crew? It is critical for you to do so before beginning a home business since individuals are set to need to trouble you for the duration of the day. This can truly restrain your capacity to finish work. Assuming that you are working at home, verify that individuals are mindful of the way that you are really working. Set aside the time that is essential to tackle your business and don't permit interferences to happen which might hinder your victory. Obviously, there are set to be exemptions to this decide that are indispensible occasionally yet for the most part talking, it’s a great thought to stay centered.

Assuming that I could give you one more prescription, it might be to guarantee that everything is situated up lawfully with your business. Index the sum of the essential paperwork with the goal that you have your business permit and check to guarantee that you have the capacity to work out of your home without any extra paperwork being wanted. At the time you have things set up fittingly and legitimately from the begin, it is doubtful the issues are set to happen at a destiny date which might keep you from working at home efficaciously.