Wanda Holmes

(NC)-Every family needs an emergency plan - and that includes the steps required to take care of the furry and feathered members of your family.
 

In case of an evacuation, pets may not be allowed in public shelters or hotels, so it's a good idea to prepare an alternative if they can't go with you. Options include taking them to the home of a relative or friend, or in advance, identifying pet-friendly hotels or boarding facilities near you. The following tips from Public Safety Canada will help you keep pets safe:
 

Identify your pet. If you become separated from your little one during an emergency, their identification may be the only way to find them. Make sure each animal wears a collar and identification tag at all times.
 

Put together a pet emergency kit. Here are some things to include:
 

• A sturdy crate or carrier;
 

• A strong leash or harness;
 

• ID tag and collar;
 

• Food and water for at least 72 hours (4L/day per average dog, 1L/day per average cat);
 

• Bowls and can opener for food;
 

• Newspaper, paper towels, plastic bags, litter, and/or litter box;
 

• Special medications, dosage, and veterinarian's contact information;
 

• Pet file (including recent photos of the animal, your emergency numbers, contact information for friends who could house your pet, copies of any licenses, and vaccination records);
 

• A pet first-aid kit;
 

• Blanket and toy.
 

Plan for evacuations. The best way to protect your pet in an emergency is to bring it with you. Most evacuation shelters will only accept service animals. Make a list of where your pet can be taken in case you need to evacuate, such as:
 

• Hotels, motels, and other pet-friendly lodging;
 

• Boarding centres and animal shelters;
 

• Animal clinics;
 

• Family members and friends
 

Keep your pet inside during severe weather. Animals are sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and often isolate themselves when scared. Never leave a pet outside or tethered during a storm.
 

Separate cats and dogs. Keep smaller pets such as hamsters away from larger animals. Stress can lead to unusual behaviour.
 

If ordered to evacuate, take your pet with you. If you must leave your pets in the house, do not tether or cage them. Leave a sign in the window and a note on the door indicating what animals are inside. Provide water and food, and leave toilet seats up. Keep newspaper inside for hygiene purposes and feed your pet wet food in order to reduce the amount of water it may need.
 

More information on emergency preparedness is available online at www.GetPrepared.ca.

Carpet stain removal can be a daunting task. It should also be done with much care and precaution to prevent damage on the carpet. While using the vacuum cleaner will do fine, it will only remove the dirt. Stains are different, thus, they should be treated differently.

Regardless of the approach employed in removing the stains, it is best to act immediately and quickly. If you wait in doing the cleaning, you risk ruining your carpet for good. Whether oil, wax, solid or liquid substances are spilled on the carpet, you need to grab a clean cloth to remove the solid substances or what can be removed from the stain.

Then you have to blot out as much of the stain as possible. If a liquid substance spilled the carpet, there might occur wicking. Wicking means that the liquid substances have pooled at the bottom of your carpet. Hence, it will weaken the fiber of your carpet, causing the stain to spread and resurface; and eventually, serious damage is done on your carpet.

To prevent wicking, you need to cover the area with a thick dry cloth, and weigh it down with thick books or something that is heavy. Leave it overnight and remove the stain as normal in the following day.

In the morning, when you are certain that no more liquid or staining material will come out, blot out the stain using a dampen cloth or sponge. Avoid scrubbing the carpet as it would weaken the fiber and cause the stain to spread to other areas.

Blotting the stain gently will remove the stain without causing further damage to the carpet. If the stain remains after blotting it with water, you may want to squirt mild dish washing liquid onto it to clean. Blot the stain gently and let it sit for an hour before you blot again with a cool damp sponge or cloth until the stain is totally removed.

There are many carpet stain removal products available in the market in case you do not like to use dishwashing liquid detergent. Commercial products designed for removing stains vary based on what types of stains on your carpet.

For them to be effective, you need to figure out what type of stains your carpet has. If it is greasy like oils for cooking, body, automotive or moisturizing, use grease-based stain removal products.

If the stains are acid-based like coffee or urine, your choices are oil-based or acid-based products. In oil-based, the stains are dissolved, while in acid-based, the chemical quality of the spots are changed in order to make them easy to remove.

If you are not certain on the type of stain your carpet has, choose the all-purpose type of carpet stain removal product.

In all your undertakings, it is best to test the carpet stain removal product in a corner of the carpet or in any out-of-the-way area of the carpet, lest, you may risk creating a faded spot that may look more hideous than the stain itself.

by Rudy Silva
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6257.shtml

(NC)-One of the oldest pieces of investing advice has to be don't put all your eggs in one basket. In other words, make sure your portfolio is well diversified to protect yourself against the ups and downs of the financial markets. The financial planning experts at Desjardins Group suggest that knowing your investor profile - or risk tolerance - is an important step to building a well-diversified portfolio. Here are six steps that will help you find the right balance of fixed income, equities and cash:

Think about varying your maturity dates: Laddering or staggering the maturity dates of your fixed-income will allow you to regularly have access to cash that you can reinvest and or use to invest in other investment opportunities.

Diversify by economic sector: Activity sectors don't respond the same way to changes in the economy. For example, in times of growth, demand for commodities increases, which favors businesses in this sector. In times of recession, securities tied to basic consumer needs (like groceries, health, etc.) will generally do better than mining securities. It's also important to remember that equities or corporate stocks are the most vulnerable to market fluctuations. Being properly diversified will protect you against this.

Hold international investments: Since Canada represents less than 3% of the world's stock markets, it's important to be open to all growth opportunities. For example, consider purchasing shares in large international and American multinationals that get much of their income from abroad.

Think about growth businesses: While they are a much riskier investment, small and medium-sized businesses have a much higher potential for growth than some multinationals. Investing in a few small cap equities can be interesting over the medium and long term. However, keep your risk aversion level in mind as you may experience some fluctuations.

Learn to recognize management styles: Not all mutual fund managers use the same investment approach. Some look for securities that are trading below their intrinsic value while others prefer to invest in businesses that are well-positioned in a growth sector. The returns of each vary according to the economic context. Blending management styles will give your portfolio more stability in the long term.

For more investing tips, visit Desjardins Group at www.Desjardins.com.

(NC)-As the daily grind gets busier, many of us yearn for a space where we can rest and relax without interruption. Yet, with the neighbor's lawnmower buzzing, aircraft flying overhead, cars and trucks whooshing past plus other noises, it can be increasingly hard to find a quiet place to chill out from the hustle and bustle of life.

Have you looked at the effective ways to soundproof your home?

Heavy soundproofing drapes and double-glazed windows are a good start to minimizing external noises, but they are often only effective for certain rooms. A far more versatile option that will noticeably minimize unwanted noise is the handy and increasingly popular spray foam insulation.

Applied throughout a home's wall and ceiling cavities, spray foam insulation (like that available from Icynene) addresses common airborne and flanking noises in places such as home theaters, workshops, garages and even from outside. The whole house can benefit with its sound dampening qualities and it works in harmony with other sound dampening materials such as double-glazed windows.

Spray foam insulation seals gaps and holes through which airborne sound moves within a home, adding value and comfort to create a quiet, peaceful environment. More information can be found online at www.icynene.com.