Clothes dryers are big energy consumers in a home. If yours seems to be running longer than it should to dry a load, check the duct. Dryers need a lot of air flowing through them for effective drying. If the duct is squashed or has a tight bend, it will have resistance to airflow, which increases drying time.

Credit card companies say simple defensive measures can protect you from fraud. Easy steps include shredding new credit card offers and old credit card statements, and not leaving your payment envelope stuck on the mailbox. Other things you should do:

* Make sure your credit card company has your phone number so it can call if a suspicious charge appears.

* Don’t use your debit card for an Internet purchase. A thief could drain your account.

* If you get a call or email about an unusual charge on your account, give no information on the phone. Take a name and call back using the customer service telephone number.

* Keep track of your transactions. You should be able to tell the company what your last five purchases were.

* Use your credit card less often.

* Notify the company if a statement or new card fails to appear.

* Check your receipts against credit card charges, recommends Consumers Union.

* Keep a record of your account numbers, their expiration dates, and the card company phone numbers. Keep it in a secure location.

A growing number of supervisors are writing about their lives, friends, and jobs on a personal Web log, or blog. Blog material is a mix of commentary, opinions, and photos.

Because of concerns about trade secrets, libel, and poor taste in material, many firms are enacting guidelines. Companies including Goggle and Delta Airlines have fired or disciplined employees for what they said about work on their blogs. Employers such as IBM now have published guidelines for bloggers.

At the same time, companies don’t want to stifle the kinds of blogs that create a positive and valuable buzz about the company.

More than 8 million adults in the U.S. have created blogs, according to recent surveys. Last year, about 32 million Americans were blog readers, a 58 percent jump from the previous year, and the number is growing.

Bloggers can communicate about their companies directly with the public. But according to USA Today, bloggers have been known to reveal trademark or copyright material, post pictures of products in development, and slander another worker, boss, or client.

Most guidelines say bloggers should not use ethnic slurs, personal insults, or obscenity. Writers should show proper consideration for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory such as politics and religion.

Civil liberties organizations fear the guidelines may stifle the free exchange that has made blogs so popular. Most employees, however, think the policies are good. They want to know whether they are breaking the rules.

In this era of global competition, we can’t be satisfied with sales that were as good as last year’s. To be a profitable organization, we must grow.

That means growth in sales, growth in profitability, and possibly the most important factor, growth in market share. Such a big order means we must attack the goal of growth from several different directions.

We can’t put the whole burden on our salespeople. They are an important part of it all, but much has to be done before and after they make a presentation to a prospective customer.

Though the world of business is very different from what it was before global competition, research shows that success still depends on traditional factors. According to studies by Harvard Business School, the key lies where it always has, with customers. With this in mind, steps to our goals include:

* Delivering the value that customers want and need. This means developing ways to produce excellent products and services while keeping costs and customer prices at satisfactory levels.

* Satisfying customer needs and expectations in outstanding ways. Studies show that companies that exceed customer expectations are more than six times as likely to achieve their growth goals as those that pursue other approaches.

* Enhancing customer loyalty. Excellent products and services are part of it, but we must satisfy customers individually as the need arises. When we do that, the customer is far more likely to buy from us again the next time around.

Every one of us is involved. We must feel the customer’s presence as we work every day.

A national survey shows that nearly half of drivers engage in some sort of angry behavior.

According to the survey, 30 percent of adult drivers complain about other drivers; 17 percent yell at other motorists; 3 percent chase them or prevent them from passing.

Another 1 percent to 2 percent had gotten out of their cars to hurt or argue with other drivers, deliberately hit other drivers’ cars, or carried a weapon.

Experts say these are the symptoms of road rage. It begins with one person, then another person is drawn into it, and that’s a problem.

In their seminar “Road Rage: How to Keep Your Cool,” sponsored by Caritas Peace Center, a nonprofit psychiatric hospital, one focus is on how to keep other drivers from “going off on you.”

* Get into your “travel mode.” Know that problems with other drivers may come up, but you are prepared for whatever may happen, and you can handle it. Allow enough time to reach your destination. Know that unexpected traffic problems could make you late, but you can handle that as well.

* Assume that the other driver’s actions are not directed at you. The person could be distracted or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

* Don’t challenge aggressive drivers, avoid eye contact, ignore gestures.

* Validate an angered driver’s feelings. If you offended him, apologize.

* Pause for six seconds so you can think. A short break is important, but you have to take it early on.
Many states have passed laws against offensive behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, reckless driving, illegal lane changes, repeatedly flashing headlights, and running another vehicle off the road. Penalties often include a large fine and jail time.

They look nice and smell good, but candles have become a serious nationwide problem. While fires from other causes have dropped over the past decade, the number of candle fires continues to rise, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Property damage is enormous, and in one recent year, 60 people died as a result of fires caused by candles. At one time, the danger was highest during the December holidays, now it spans the entire year.

In 2005, the theme of Fire Prevention Week is: Use Candles With Care.

* Place them correctly in a fire-safe holder and on a sturdy table that is not close to anything flammable.
* Never place a candle in a small enclosed area such as a bookshelf.
* Check your candles frequently to make sure they haven’t burned too low. Never leave them unattended.
* Put candles out if you are dozing in a chair.
* Don’t use candles around small children. They may be fascinated by the flame and knock the candle over.
* Avoid putting candles in the windows. If a fire starts there, it could block your exit.
* Always have a fire extinguisher available.

The National Candle Association reminds users that although a candle flame is small, it is still fire.

At home

There are special weeks during the year that call to you to take important steps to protect yourself. During Fire Prevention Week, we urge you to:

* Replace the batteries on your smoke alarms. Replace any smoke detectors that are 10 years old.
* Review your EDITH plan. Exit Drills for The Home could save a life.

1. Draw a floor plan of your home showing two ways out of every room, especially bedrooms. Discuss the escape routes with everyone in your home.
2. Designate a meeting place outside the home where you will gather after escaping a fire. Tell kids they must go there so you know they are safe.
3. Practice your plan. Have a fire drill with everyone participating. See if the plan really works and make adjustments if there are problems. Do it twice using different exits. Tell them to hurry but not to run. Show them how to crawl when there is smoke.
4. Caution everyone to leave without stopping for any possession or pet. They should get out, go to the meeting place, and stay there.

At work

* Keep equipment clean and in good operating condition.
* Don’t overload electrical circuits.
* Store flammable or combustible materials in appropriate containers and away from heat sources.
* Keep work, storage, and refuse areas clean and free from debris.
* Know two escape routes from your work area.
* Keep fire exits and escape routes clear.
* Observe no-smoking areas.
* Never leave an open flame unattended, even if it’s just a candle.
* Review the fire safety rules of your particular department.
* Know where fire extinguishers are located and how to use them.
* Know how to report a fire. Report it immediately. There’s no need to check with the boss first.

Electrical Box Installed about 100 feet from road.

Electrical Box Installed

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First, make sure your image is in your custom.css file…

Next, in your custom_functions.php file, create a simple function and assign it a div tag with a unique name so you can style the header area in your custom.css…

function myheader() {?>

It pays to be wary when using wireless services in coffee shops, airports and hotels. They are almost always not encrypted, which means anyone else on the network who is equipped with available software can easily read your transmissions.
When there is a form of encrpyption, it’s usually a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) system that is easily broken.
The editors of Business Week say you should not connect to just any public Wi-Fi network, and never connect to “ad hoc” or “peer-to-peer” wireless networks. Be sure not to send private information over a network that doesn’t use a secure site.
Look for wireless networks that use Wi-Fi Protected Access.

iPhone G3 saves money?
In tight economic times, some people are buying a more expensive mobile phone in order to save money.
Here’s why it works, according to the media measurement firm com.Score Inc. It’s like the “Swiss Army knife” device. It offers a phone, a music player, a camera and a way to connect to high-speed Internet service.
Ownership of the iPhone increased by 48 percent  from June through August of last year in households earning $50,000 or less. Those households include many retired women and young people. The increase was in spite of the fact that there was a slight decline in the number of such households during the same period.
Sales of the iPhone grew only 21 percent among households earning more.