Just Blogging

Sharon Taylor asked:




There are several requirements you must meet when obtaining any kind of insurance. Taking out term life insurance is no exception. For the most part, insurance companies want to make sure you start out healthy before issuing you a policy. Premiums are based on your lifestyle and what your medical history is like. The cost of your premium is based on your age, gender and even occupation. Tobacco use has always been of concern when you are applying for term life insurance .

Tobacco use in any form already sets you apart from non-users. Some insurance companies do not distinguish between the form and frequency of your tobacco use. If you are a person who smokes an occasional cigar you are treated the same as a person who smokes two or three packs of cigarettes per day. Despite this unfair categorization, there are some companies that do make the distinction. The key is to find these select insurance companies that individualize their rates. These select companies base their premiums upon the type of tobacco and frequency of usage. They make a clear distinction between the use of cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipes, smokeless tobacco, nicotine gum, marijuana or a nicotine patch to quit your smoking habit. If you smoke marijuana, you must also disclose that you use drugs on your application form.

Lifestyle Discrimination?

While automatic higher premiums set for smokers are seemingly unfair and may even be viewed as lifestyle discrimination, it is also important to understand the perspective of insurance companies. Generally, smokers miss work more often than non-smokers due to respiratory problems. It is believed, although not clinically proven, that smoking lowers the immune system defenses, therefore causing smokers to be more susceptible to certain smoke related illnesses than non-smokers. Smoking has also always been believed to cause premature death. Ailments such as lung cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks, emphysema, severe asthma, stroke, and other forms of cancer are all associated to nicotine use. Current studies have also found a connection between heavy tobacco use and Alzheimer’s disease. Certainly one can compare the consistent use of a known carcinogen to someone who is employed at a job considered to be “hazardous duty.” Both are subject to higher premiums due to higher risk for insurance companies to carry you.

Tobacco Use and Low Cost Term Life Insurance

If you are smoker who has tried to obtain term life insurance in the past, you have probably been disappointed by the high premiums quoted to you. In recent years some insurance companies have opted to offer low cost term life insurance for tobacco users. Smokers or nicotine users are now eligible for 10, 15, 20 or 30 year term periods at low rates. For example, as long as a smoker is in otherwise excellent health and is at a reasonable weight, he or she may obtain $250,000.00 worth of coverage for about $40 per month over a 10 year period.

The best thing to do would be to research out companies and their policies for tobacco users. By shopping out the different insurance companies, you are sure to find one that does not penalize you excessively for tobacco use. Doing an internet search is the fastest way to obtain a quote online as many companies are now doing “Insta-quotes” that only take minutes. Tobacco users can now afford to protect their families at much more affordable rates and doing due diligence in shopping out your quotes will save you money in the long run.

Mark Hester asked:




Toward the end of 2006 you may have noticed that ads detailing smoking’s adverse health effects started appearing in newspapers across the country. This was in response to an August of 2006 ruling by a federal judge that the tobacco industry had actively engaged in racketeering practices. The judge stated that the industry had engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to hide the dangers of smoking from their users. Tobacco companies were actually ordered to take out newspaper ads criticizing their own product.

The judge ruled that the conspiracy started as early as 1953, when a group of tobacco company executives met together at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and developed a plan to counter the public’s health concerns about smoking. The judge also ruled that even after the 1964 Surgeon General’s report linked smoking to lung cancer, tobacco companies continued to deny and purposely distort many serious dangers of smoking their products.

Shockingly it was also ruled that the tobacco industry actively marketed their products to youth. That even though the tobacco industry claims it does not want children to smoke, the companies were caught tracking youth behavior and preferences, thereby ensuring that “marketing and promotion reaches youth,” even hiding from them the serious dangers of smoking while their young bodies were still developing.

The tobacco industry was also faulted for publicly denying that second-hand smoke is dangerous. The judge cited internal acknowledgment that this indeed was the case. In 1999, the Clinton administration accused the tobacco industry of racketeering as part of a coordinated plan to deceive the public about the dangers of smoking, and to cover up the knowledge they had to the contrary.

Under the ruling, the tobacco companies were also ordered to stop using such descriptions as “low tar,” “light,” “ultra light,” “mild,” or “natural,” or any other descriptions that might seem as if these cigarettes posed less of a health hazard or in any way were an attempt to downplay the dangers of smoking them.

While this ruling was a victory for many anti-smoking and anti-tobacco campaigns, many commented on how long it took for the government to respond to tobacco’s use and on how long the actual case itself took as well. Others felt that perhaps the court was not punitive enough with the industry. “We are pleased with the court’s finding of liability on the part of the defendants, but disappointed that the court did not impose all of the remedies sought by the government,” the Justice Department said in a written statement. “Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the remedies that were imposed by the court can have a significant, positive impact on the health of the American public.”

To many it seemed to be a hollow victory, but it still did some good in highlighting the real dangers of smoking that even the tobacco industry itself could not - or was no longer allowed to - deny.

Cris Stanford asked:




When asked, “What is the best air purifier to remove tobacco smoke?” I have to say, “There’s not a simple answer.”

Effectively removing tobacco smoke, allergens and odors mainly depends on the type of air purifier you purchase, how powerful it is and even where you put it in your home or work place.

But, what is the best air purifier to remove tobacco smoke is an excellent question. Besides the unpleasant odor, second hand tobacco smoke can cause serious allergy and respiratory problems. It’s comprised of over 4,000 chemicals, with around 40 known carcinogens. Anything you can do to cut down on the detrimental health statistics is a good idea.

There are around half a dozen varieties of air purifiers in a variety of sizes and shapes. The two main types of systems are mechanical air purifiers such as high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and electrostatic filtration systems, such as an ionic purifier. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages and some are more effective than others at removing tobacco smoke.

Activated carbon filters and ozone generator air purifiers are the most effective systems available for removing tobacco smoke odor. However, neither is particularly effective at reducing the airborne allergens and toxins.

An activated carbon filter involves charcoal treated with oxygen, which opens up million of tiny pores that greatly increase the filter pad surface area. The activated carbon air purifier filter then works like a sponge to remove the smell of tobacco smoke and soak up harmful toxic gases. Although charcoal air filters need to be changed regularly, filters are generally not very expensive.

Many of the activated carbon air purifiers are combined with HEPA technology. This is good, because they’re 99.9 percent effective at eliminating airborne allergens down to three tenths of a micron. To illustrate how small 0.3 microns is, consider that there are over 600 microns in this period.

Ozone air purifiers are also effective at removing tobacco odor, but they’re not very effective at removing smoke allergens and toxins. Plus, these air purifiers are controversial. Many experts believe ozone generators are harmful to human health.

Since ozone is the main toxic chemical found in smog, California has even issued a warning against ozone generators, stating, “People should avoid using indoor air cleaning devices that produce ozone.” Just like tobacco smoke, long term exposure to ozone can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, as well as respiratory problems and even permanent lung damage.

Most marketers for ozone generators will tell you there’s no need to worry. They say you can use a low setting and you don’t need to run the device all day. But that doesn’t really eliminate the problem. And you don’t want to just add more pollutants to the tobacco smoke.

So, what is the best air purifier to remove tobacco smoke? Once you take everything into consideration, a good HEPA air purifier combined with an activated charcoal filter would be best. With this type of air purifier, you can effectively remove the odor and reduce airborne allergens and toxins from tobacco smoke with only positive benefits to your health.

Tommy Sessions asked:




This morning when you, Bill, and Billy Jr. got into your Grand Marquis to go to church, you felt something ‘cold’ on your foot.

You look down and see ‘green’ stuff in the floor board…

and another drop falls onto your left foot, just above your shoe, and spreads on your stocking…

and you noticed it was a little warmer.

Your first thought, as you spoke aloud, was, “Is my car coming apart?”

Then you turned to Billy Jr. in the back…”What did you do to my car last night?”

Course he denies having done anything to the car on his date, and rightly so, this time.

Your car is not necessarily coming apart…You’re heater core is leaking.

The heater core is mounted inside a plastic case, along with the air conditioner evaporator core.

Coolant from the radiator flows through the heater core by way of a couple of hoses, then back to the engine.

This is where you get the ‘heat’ from when you turn your heater on…a little fan blows across the heater core and causes hot air to attack you in the passenger compartment of your car.

When the heater core gets a hole in it, the coolant will leak out…
just like the radiator in front of the engine.

Since it’s mounted under the dash, it naturally leaks onto the floor…and if there is a small foot there, it will probably drip onto it.

There is a long story about *why* the heater core gets a hole in it, but for this article, let’s just say it is like the radiator, except it’s smaller.

Some of the chemicals in the anti-freeze/summer coolant causes them to deteriorate.

If you will flush the cooling system every other year you can just about eliminate this problem…isn’t that nice to know?

Monalisa Hyden asked:




You have always been told that Nicotine is bad for your health and so you must forsake your dear nicotine, your partner of weal and woe. You have shared most delicate private moments with nicotine. In your stress and depression nicotine lifted your spirit, when you were tired, nicotine assured you to fill your body with energy, when you were bored, nicotine made you feel enthusiastic about whatever you were doing. You are in love with your NICO-darling, how can you betray your love? True, you make a point. Nicotine did award you a euphoric feeling every time you pressed it with your lips. How can you give up this extraordinary excitement with every nicotine kiss! It is really tough…not because you just love nicotine, but for the fact your NICO-darling has captivated you in such a way, that you fail to notice that you have become a slave to it. You have become addicted to cigarette, and now you can not imagine anything beyond the poisonous puffs.

What is there in those puffs of nicotine? Hold your heart, I am going to smother it with some hard facts. The organic compound nicotine is C10H14N2, a natural liquid alkaloid, made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sometimes oxygen. Your cigarette contains approximately 8 to 20 mg of nicotine and out of that only around 1 mg is essentially absorbed by your body after smoking a cigarette. After you smoke, it first causes a rapid release of Adrenaline, as a result you experience rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, rapid, shallow breathing. Then nicotine blocks the release of hormone insulin and thereby increases the sugar level in blood. Then nicotine increases the LDL cholesterol that is responsible for damaging arteries. This way, you increase the likelihood of a heart attack or a stroke, by smoking. And you also increase the chances of cancer in your body parts, mainly lungs, and emphysema.

The main role of nicotine, which has more than 3999 compounds including some poisonous compounds, is to make you addicted to cigarette smoking. It is the primary reason for being addictive to cigarettes, it is something like sending a captivating women to seduce the targeted man so that he may be killed easily by the devil. If you have realized that you have been kissing poison since the first *** of your life, I hope you understand that you need to quit smoking as soon as possible. Of course it’s ultimately a matter of your heart’s desire if you wish to keep on ’sleeping with the enemy’!

Is it just impossible for you? You cannot live after leaving nicotine, right! I know you cannot imagine making life miserable fighting with the CRAVINGS for the rest of your life. If you have a hidden wish to ditch your NICO-love, then I can show you a way to free yourself from the evil grip of nicotine. There is a new anti-smoking medicine available in the market, its name is Chantix. Smoking people have been able to quit smoking permanently after using Chantix, the latest smoking cessation drug, which is making wave in the market. Why not when nearly more than half a million people are dying because of tobacco smoking each year!

Chantix has been able to make an impact on the smokers mainly because it has the right approach to the problem; it has targeted the nicotine addiction, by which you are seduced to smoke tobacco. If you start disliking nicotine effects, why on earth will you ever go to the smoking zone and take a puff? This is called an eye for an eye! The devil tobacco has nasty nicotine to seduce you…and Chantix has very good varenicline to take you out of the evil captivation. When varenicline starts working, you just cannot enjoy nicotine! As a result you just quit smoking easily with Chantix and go back to a tobacco-free clean and healthy world! Get rid of Tobacco… Chantix is the hot chic in the town, a kill-bill for the tobacco devil.

Michael N Warren asked:




Weather change is here and the cracked padded dashes are rolling in. With every weather change I get the phone calls. “My dash is cracked and what can be done to fix it.”

Due to the exposer to old mother nature, these materials become dried out and ***** over time leaving you with a ***** in your dash. Left unattended this small ***** can and will get larger.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent the dash from getting cracked in the first place. Now I know your dash is already cracked and your wanting to know how to fix it, but this will prevent further cracks and keep your car cooler and looking nicer, and well…. for further reference.

One way to prevent this is to use a sunshade. This will not only protect your automotive dash from the sun but also keep your vehicle cooler keeping the plastic pieces cooler and less likely to warp and then *****.

Another way to prevent the materials from drying on your dash is to condition them with a good vinyl conditioner-protectant. Now I know I’ve always said to not put the slimy stuff on your interior pieces and parts … But if your vehicle is exposed to the sun on a constant basis, then I would recommend you use a vinyl conditioner. Now I’m not going to say that any old vinyl conditioner will work, because it won’t. Tire shine is not vinyl conditioner! This is probably one of the biggest mistakes made, and I do a lot of repair because of it. Tire shine contains solvents, which as you know from previous articles, it doesn’t mix well with the water based dyes being used on todays cars. What it does is lifts the dye from the surface, causing it to peel. So no tire shine…What I recommend to my customers is a product made from a leather conditioning producer that I feel from some of the research I’ve done is safe and should work very well, it’s made by Lexol and it’s called Vinylex. Designed by the guys that really know their stuff when it comes to interior conditioning and protecting.

The last and final tip to keeping your automotive interior, including your dash, looking it’s best and lasting longer is window tint. Now in some states you need to be careful with the tinting laws to make sure you don’t get it too dark, plus you need to think of your safety too. I have tint on our family Tahoe and I kinda wish I would have gone a little lighter, at night it’s really hard to see, my Tahoe stays nice and cool, but it’s a pain in the **** at night. I have to roll the window down sometimes just to see. So keep it light and you will be impressed with the results, plus it looks cool.

Now on with the fix for that ***** in your dash.

Depending on where the ***** is and how big it is will depend on how to fix it and how expensive the repair will be. If the ***** is bigger then 2″-3″ and curled up on the edges, the repair will probably not look that great. There is a limit to the size of ***** that can be repaired, too big and it probably won’t hold and will look like crap. If the ***** is too big, replace the dash pad, don’t try to fix it. Another thing is location, if the ***** is up close to the windshield then it’s almost impossible to do a repair without removing the windshield, which can be costly. So with that said you be the judge.

The first thing I do before I start any repair is to mix my color, this insures that at least the color will be right.

Next I inspect the ***** in the dash, if the edges are curled up then you will need to trim that off with a razor blade or Xacto knife. The goal here is to get the area as level as you can. Now when doing so cut at a 45 degree angle and don’t bring the ends to a point, what I mean by this is trim all the way around the ***** rounding off the ends of the crack, this will insure that the ***** will stop and not ***** further after your repair.

Of course your next step is prepping the repair area, use your prep solution with a scotch brite pad and clean the area thoroughly. You might need to clean the entire dash depending on where and how large the ***** is.

Now it’s time to determine what fix you going to use.

If the ***** is smaller then an 1/2″ I usually grab the super glue and do a super glue repair. I do this by spreading the glue in the ***** then sanding it smooth with a 240 grit sandpaper, texture with your water based spray grain, then dye.

But there are times when your vinyl repair compound will need to be used, after all this is vinyl. The low cure usually works best because high heat tends to warp the repair area. This is where your patience comes in when doing your repairs. Thin layers of compound work best, curing and dying between coats until the area is level and smooth. You can texture while layering your compound with your grain pads. One little trick I use to help level the repair when using a grain pad is a little rubber squeegee about 3″x5″, it’s what body shops use to squeegee the water off the painted surface when they wet sand. This little thing works great, when you use your hand to imprint your grain into your repair, your hand kinda molds around the area and doesn’t leave a level area but with the rubber squeegee it gives you a little more backing when you go to imprint. Now graining your repair can be tricky, the low cure compound doesn’t grain that well, but if all else fails make sure the repair is level, this is your best hide. If that is achieved then texture with your spray grain.

One last trick up my sleeve is the use of a great product from Urethane Supply Co. This is a two part epoxy like substance that is specifically designed for padded dashes and the name says it all, Padded Dash Filler.
This stuff is the bomb, when it comes to dash repair. Mixes like Bondo and is even applied like bondo, but its flexible. It’s just what the doctor ordered when it comes to dash repair. If the ***** is larger then 1″ this is the stuff to use.

Now this product will require you to trim the area and then sand around the area about 1″ to 2″ out with a heavier grit sandpaper like a 180 grit, this gives it something to bite too. Trim down into the foam a little to, so that you make like a little groove for the compound to lay in.

Mix your compound on a small piece of tile, I like using small tile pieces, they clean up easily and are easier to hold when mixing and applying. Now when you get the product they send you the red catalyst, try the blue, it seems to set up a little quicker. The blue you can get at any automotive parts shop. But the red works just as good just takes it a little longer, time is money in my business.

Apply your compound liberally over the repair area, don’t worry about getting your first coat really smooth, all you need is to get it covered, you’ll be sanding it smooth later. Let it set up for a while, depending on the weather will depend on how long this stuff takes. You can speed it up a little with a heat gun but don’t melt it just give it a little boost.

Once hardened start sanding, I usually start with a 180 grit to knock off the big chunks then progressively move my way up to a finer grit like 240 and then to 400.

One coat won’t be sufficient, I promise, this is another layer thing. Sanding between coats. Each coat you apply you will need to make smoother. Again what your trying to achieve is a smooth level repair.

After all is smooth and level, grain with a spray grain then dye.

As far as texture goes, I use two types of spray grain. One is a water based spray grain and the other is Sems Texture Coat. In fact the Sems Texture Coat almost matches the some of the Pontiac dashes to a tee. Now the Sems Texture coat is a solvent based, but I haven’t had a problem with it peeling up against the water based dyes on the dash, so kudos to Sems.

One other trick I have found with the the Sems Texture Coat is after sprayed if you let it flash out a little but not dry completely, you can take your grain pad and imprint your grain into the texture coat, pretty cool huh.

Dash repair is an art and a craft, just like all automotive interior repairs. If the steps are followed right and patience is used in your repairs you success will be good.

Hope this helps in your dash repair adventure. One thing to always keep in mind is to keep your repair as level as possible, this is your best hide.