Archives 2017

Considering that over one-third of all home remodeling jobs involve the entire home, it is important for a homeowner to consider the return on investment that will come with home improvements. Of course, if you’re a homeowner and a landlord, it’s even more important to ensure that your investment property is actually living up to its name.

If you’re looking for modest remodeling jobs that offer a positive return on investment, here are some of the best practices and techniques to follow in order to reap the biggest payout.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is often seen as the most important room in a home. Perhaps that’s why most homeowners choose to spend the majority of their remodeling budget on kitchen upgrades. Here are a few easy ways to make simple upgrades to your kitchen:

• Investing in durable materials, such a laminate, for your cabinets. Most laminate is made of at least four materials including resin, the wear layer, the decorative layer, and kraft paper. If you’re looking for cabinetry that looks like wood but lasts much longer, this material stands the test of time.
• Installing a new faucet and sink can go a long way to giving the entire room a cleaner feel. There are plenty of modern options for just about any style.
• Incorporating new lighting can add ambiance in no time, especially if natural light is lacking in your kitchen area. Consider upgrading your lighting fixtures if you’re looking for a little project that makes a big difference.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is probably the most used room in the home, so any money spent in bathroom remodeling is worth the hard work. While it’s not the most exciting room in a home, it’s one of the most important from a practical perspective. Interesting bathroom remodeling ideas can include:

• Updated tile and grout will be like giving a bathroom a facelift. It’s all too easy for grout to get dirty or stained in this small, high-moisture room.
• Putting in matching sink and tub faucets.
• Painting the ceiling to get rid of any water stains or signs of water damage.
• If there’s a closet in the bathroom, consider removing the walls to open up the space and make the bathroom bigger.

The Flooring

The floors of a home are walked on every day, but barely anyone notices them unless there is a huge problem. Capture potential tenants’ attention by taking the following advice:

• Stay away from carpeting. Not only is it harder to clean, but going with a hardwood option keeps allergens outside of the home.
• Since they are often used only in kitchens, consider using ceramic tiles for either the bedrooms or living rooms, too. They give off a unique vibe and a fresh, modern look.
• If you opt for hardwoods, make sure to add a few smaller throw rugs to add dimension and color. While most landlords expect tenants to provide these types of rugs, they can add warmth to an empty room that would otherwise be lacking.

Of course, the remodeling projects you choose will depend greatly on the condition of your investment property. Unlike traditional homeowners, landlords don’t have the luxury of choosing renovations based purely on your own preferences. Before beginning any new work, think carefully about how it will help you generate income from your investment home.

The United States currently has the second largest construction market in the entire world. The U.S. construction market contributes over $900 billion in expenditures. On a global scale, the overall construction market is expected to continue to grow over the next few years.

Market officials are optimistic about the current state and future of the construction industry, despite technology automating a significant amount of jobs in other industries.

General construction will be a major part of the upcoming construction growth because of the increase in popularity of newly built homes. Roughly 41% of the American population prefer a brand-new home over an older existing one.

According to The Stack, by the year 2021, the global data centre construction market is expected to grow to $73.87 billion.

“The general construction sector occupies a majority 43% of the global data center construction market,” said Abhishek Sharma, a lead analyst at Technavio for construction data research. “This sector encompasses the design and construction of a well-secured facility, in addition to installing the setup, flooring, internal frames, external walls, windows, doors, installation of infrastructure, and disposal fittings.”

As Yahoo Finance reports, in addition to the general construction sector, electrical and mechanical construction will play important contributing roles in the growing global market as well.

The electrical construction segment is projected to reach $20.9 billion by 2021 and the mechanical construction segment is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of over 9%.

“Data center designs include mechanical components such as cooling solutions and racks. It also includes sprinklers, piping, belts, filters, water pipework installations, and lifts,” Abhishek added.

Despite the industry optimism, a stronger emphasis on safety must be placed on each sector of the construction market. In 2015 alone, a total of 4,836 construction workers were killed while on the job, which equals 13 deaths each day.

The overall report took into consideration revenue, emerging trends, forecasts and current analysis.

More than 3 million people fly on commercial aircraft every single day. Some of those travelers planning a flight to Oregon for the 2017 solar eclipse, however, have been sorely disappointed.

Hotels in Oregon have received harsh criticism for the apparent cancellation of over a dozen reservations for the 2017 eclipse. In turn, they appear to have raised the rates for hotel rooms from anywhere between $600 and $1,600 a night.

In recent months, some customers have been complaining on online forums and filing reports with the Oregon Department of Justice, claiming that the rooms that they had booked well in advance have inexplicably been canceled, and the rate of the rooms driven to staggering prices. Many of the hotel managers involved with these claims have yet to respond or they seem unapologetic, even as August looms on the horizon.

According to one customer who had a room booked at the Stafford Inn in Prineville, ” … had a room booked for the eclipse on August 21, 2017, and the manager emailed to say they were canceling it because of new ownership. This is not true because the new owners took over in 2014, not just now. Now they are offering up the room for $600 a night instead of the $160 it was confirmed for.”

As of right now, the Oregon Department of Justice is looking into these accusations. If they find the hotels responsible, then those businesses could be breaking the law under the Unlawful Trade Practices Act. This makes it illegal to use deceptive marketing tactics like false advertising.

According to a department spokesperson, Ellen Klem, “A hotel can charge whatever it likes. It just can’t be deceptive in the advertising or the marketing.”

Hotels that have chosen to respond have offered an explanation many customers find difficult to accept. They are blaming either a system upgrade or glitch in the system, or even stating the changes occurred because of new ownership or new branding.

Now customers are forced to stop shopping for their sun filters and no. 14 welder’s glasses that would, according to NASA, best protect their eyes during the eclipse, and figure out how to get their hotel rooms back. Needless to say, a lot of people are not happy that their confirmation number doesn’t mean much anymore.

The investigation is still ongoing by the Oregon Department of Justice. If found guilty, those hotels could face hefty fines and serious blows to their reputations. However, the only thing most customers want is their reserved spot to see the magnificent spectacle that is the 2017 solar eclipse.

Surveys estimate that 29% of men say they would wear an engagement ring, but Tom Brady of the New England Patriots has something better — five Super Bowl rings. Unfortunately for the football superstar, after winning against the Atlanta Falcons in February, Tom Brady’s winning jersey mysteriously vanished, only to reappear six weeks later in another country — Mexico.

According to the National Football League and law enforcement officials, the jersey and a second jersey worn by Brady in a previous Super Bowl two years ago were stolen by a former media executive from Mexico — Mauricio Ortega, former employee of the tabloid Diario La Prensa. Ortega had the credentials to cover the game in Houston and was able to snag the jersey in the Patriots’ locker room.

The investigation was led by the FBI, the Houston Police Department, and league security.

“You don’t come to Texas and embarrass us here on our own turf,” said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. “The only blemish that we had from the Super Bowl was these jerseys that were stolen from the locker room.”

La Prensa said in a statement that its former director, Martin Ortega, had also been involved in the theft.

“If it turns out to be true, (La Prensa) strongly rejects the conduct of Martin Ortega … who took advantage of the position he had to use the La Prensa newspaper to get accreditation and gain access to the field,” the statement said.

Ortega could not be reached for comment, but he did resign last Tuesday for ‘personal reasons.’

At the time of the incident, Brady expressed disappointment at the loss of his jersey.

“It’s unfortunate, because that’s a nice piece of memorabilia,” he had said. “Those are pretty special ones to keep. What can you do? I’ll take the ring and that’s good enough for me.”

While Brady will soon have possession of both jerseys once again, along with all five of his super bowl rings, Robert Kraft, owner of the team, is lacking one of his own mementos.

After the Patriot’s Super Bowl win against the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2005, Kraft met Russian President Vladimir Putin later that year. Kraft said he intended to simply show the ring to Putin, but the leader ended up keeping it instead.

Ultimately, Brady’s positivity shone through as he expressed gratitude for all those who assisted with the investigation.

“I am happy my jerseys from SB 49 and SB 51 have been recovered, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved,” said the Patriots quarterback. “I know they worked hard on this case, and it is very much appreciated. Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience.”

Think Millennials are stuck in their college days and prefer beer as their alcoholic drink of choice down at the bars? Well, think again.

Turns out that instead of asking their bartender what’s on tap, Millennials are more likely to pick between red, white, and rose. Millennials are consuming more wine than any generation before them, and large beer brands are starting to notice.

Back in 2015, the Millennial generation as a whole consumed 159.6 million cases of wine. This represented about 36% of all the wine sales in that year, a statistic that has only risen since then.

Not only that but when Millennials drink, they drink a lot. This generation is on its way to becoming wine connoisseurs, as the number of high-frequency wine drinkers has risen from 8% in 2005 to 13% back in 2010, according to the Wine Market Council (YMC).

It turns out that when Millennials pick a favorite wine, they really do mean business.

Some believe that this trend change is a means of identification and maturity for the generation that struggles to be taken seriously in the public eye.

“Wine drinkers are beginning to sort themselves out,” President of the WMC, John Gillespie, explains to Business Insider. “It’s the self-identification of, ‘Yeah, I’m a wine person.'”

So what does this mean for the big beer brands that have thrived off Millennials and college-aged drinkers in the past few years? Inexpensive brands such as Bud Light, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Heineken have been trying their hardest to market to young generations but aren’t having the best of luck ever since wine entered the picture with a splash.

Budweiser, in particular, is having many problems maintaining Millennial drinkers. The brand, known for its Americana vibe, Clydesdale horses, and adorable puppies, is starting to become quite stale in consumer’s eyes. This could be due to the fact that Budweiser is an internationally recognized brand of beer and doesn’t have the variety or the unique tastes craft beer has. Plus, as a whole, craft beer is becoming more and more popular for consumers, with the market being worth $19.6 billion.

The brand is still struggling despite recently having one of the most expensive celebrity endorsements ever. Right after the Superbowl, which is one of the most lucrative advertising opportunities for American businesses, Budweiser got a post-game shoutout from Patriots Quarterback Peyton Manning. Estimated to be worth about $3.2 million in media opportunity, while this endorsement led to a social media surge, it did not provide a lasting impact on sales.

To put this in perspective, more than 80% of social media discussion about beer on Super Bowl Sunday was related to Budweiser. And even though a good majority of social media users report that what they read online– such as what is posted on Facebook–makes an impact on their purchasing decision, Budweiser hasn’t been so lucky.

Even though sales continued to drop, this past fiscal year was one of the best in Budweiser’s history, as the company admitted that the brand’s total market value dropped 15 points as a whole. Considering that per capita, Budweiser consumption fell from 30 cans annually to just 18 cans between 2004 and 2013, this does not fare well, despite expensive celebrity endorsements.

So for the brand that calls themselves the “King of Beers,” their Millennial “subjects” are changing their pace to something a bit more fruity. Plus, with the growing popularity of the craft beer market, we’ll have to wait and see who will come out on top as the new ruler of the alcohol world.

Approximately 96% of parents believe that proper education can make up for a child’s learning disorder, but a new study has provided substantial evidence that people with ADHD have brain structures that differ from neuro-typical individuals.

The data gathered has led scientists to believe that ADHD should be considered an issue of brain development, not of motivation or family dynamics. The study was published in the Lancet Psychiatry and was “the largest brain imaging study of its kind,” according to the Washington Post.

The study, conducted by a consortium called ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis), included cranial scans from children, adolescents, and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD. Researchers reported that the biggest discrepancies in brain volume were present in children.

When compared to a control group, patients with ADHD experienced slower development in five out of seven regions in the brain, including the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for regulating emotional responses and had the greatest volume reduction of the seven regions studied. This surprised researchers because while the amygdala is an important regulator in the brain, there was previously no evidence that suggested it was linked to ADHD.

Geneticist and study author Martine Hoogman of Radboud University in the Netherlands said the amygdala “is involved in emotion regulation and … in the process of [inhibiting] a response. Both cognitive processes are characteristic of ADHD, so it does make sense to have found this structure to be implicated in ADHD.”

In the past, small sample sizes have inhibited ADHD research and created unreliable results, but this study put much of that uncertain data to rest. Just as neglecting vehicles can cost the U.S. economy over $2 billion annually, neglecting proper research can have a great cost.

A grand total of 3,242 people from ages four to 63 were observed in the study. Almost half of the study participants undergoing MRI scans were control subjects, but the other half had ADHD.

Jonathan Posner, who wasn’t involved in the study but who does pediatric brain imaging research at Columbia University Medical School explained that this is something of a breakthrough in ADHD research.

“Because this study was orders of magnitude higher in terms of participants, and because it involved sampling broadly and internationally, it gives us more confidence,” he said.

The study has given other researchers hope for the future of ADHD research as well. Scientists knew that ADHD patients’ brains displayed small differences, but this most recent study has solidified claims that were once a bit cloudy.

Above all else, ENIGMA researchers hope that this study will help reduce some of the stigma that surrounds those people living with ADHD.

Currently, Netflix is the single largest bandwidth user on the Internet, accounting for over a third — 38% — of all online traffic during peak evening hours. Although HBO Go, Hulu, and other streaming services have tried to compete, no one has able to steal the crown from Netflix. Facebook, however, after dominating the social media industry for years, could potentially pose a threat to Netflix in the future.

According to Investopedia, Facebook recently hired Mina Lefevre, the former head of scripted development at Viacom, the company that ran MTV Networks. Lefevre will help the company transition from a social media powerhouse to a “video-first” company by creating compelling video content.

“We want people to think of Facebook as a place for interesting and relevant video content from professional creators as well as their friends,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Quartz reports that since 2014, Zuckerberg has continually stressed the importance of video playing a role in the company’s future. Hiring Lefevre is a major move for Facebook, but one that has stayed in line with some of the other decisions the company has made in recent months.

Facebook is currently developing an app for set-top boxes that will allow users to watch potential studio-quality videos from Facebook on the television. In addition, Facebook confirmed late in 2016 that it’s in talks with major studios in an attempt to acquire licensing deals for content that could soon appear in Facebook’s video tab.

According to Tech Crunch, Facebook used Instagram to help secure and revolutionize the photography market and could soon do the same for video.

“We’re focusing more on shorter form content to start,” Zuckerberg added. “Over the longer term… people will experiment with longer forms of video as well as all kinds of different things.”

In Richmond, Virginia, a little boy is getting a new lease on life after enduring several life-altering tragedies.

Kindergartner Thomas Miller had just turned one when his mother, Reina Opperman, was killed in a car accident. Miller was in the vehicle at the time of the accident and was ejected nearly 70 feet. While Miller survived with scrapes and bruises, his mother was tragically killed. Miller’s Aunt calls his survival after the incident a “pure miracle.” No word on what time of year the accident occurred, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) a higher volume of travelers combined with more alcohol-impaired drivers cause nearly two times the number of auto accident fatalities during summer months than during the rest of the year combined.

To make matters worse, Miller’s father, Erik Opperman, died of a heart attack in 2014.

In the wake of these tragedies, Miller’s aunt and uncle performed an act of courage: they took the boy in and raised him with their two daughters. In a recent turn of events, William and Gretchen Miller have decided to legally adopt Thomas.

To this day, many people who aided in Miller’s rescue efforts after the crash are still a part of his life.

“As much stuff as he’s been through, there’s a reason he’s here,” said Henrico firefighter Mike Hodges.

Hodges was present when Miller was thrown from the car and assured the family he would always be there for Thomas.

“I told his dad I would be there for his graduation,” said Hodges. “Didn’t realize I would be there for his adoption.”

For now, things seem to have settled down for Thomas. He enjoys eating his favorite foods, going to school, and playing with his new sisters. He continues to inspire people everywhere with his courageous and positive attitude. More than 90% of adopted children ages five and up have positive feelings about their adoption, and it’s safe to say that Thomas Miller is certainly one of them.

Prescription drugs and heroin issues continue to plague people across the Untied States.

The U.S. holds roughly a 40% share of the global pharmaceutical market. Recently, and seemingly more and more each week, prescription drugs are causing serious problems for people across the country and are even leading to heroin addiction.

“We knew that this was going to be an issue, that we were going to push addicts in a direction that was going to be more deadly,” said Dr. Carrie DeLone, Holy Spirit Medical Group Medical Director. “But, we also know that you have to start somewhere. You have to understand what you’re doing. You have to regulate this. It can’t just be business as usual.”

According to The Sentinel, the influx of prescription pills has become such a significant problem that in some areas of the country, particularly in Pennsylvania, the problem had to be addressed immediately in order to save the lives of addicted individuals.

“The initial problem is that we have people who are addicted and now we are not giving them as many pharmaceutical-grade painkillers, so they are moving to heroin,” DeLone added.

The Daily Cardinal reports that far too many children have had their lives lost at the hands of these opioids.

“We want people to know that opioids, though they are prescribed by doctors, can be very dangerous,” said Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleeisch, head of the Opioid Task Force.

Sadly, many of these opioid addictions aren’t starting from young people abusing drugs just to experiment, but rather from being legally prescribed after experiencing an injury or having surgery or dental work done.

According to University of Maryland Professor of Criminology Katie Zafft, a multifaceted approach to addressing this heroin and prescription drug issue must be implemented on a national scale.

“When they [addicts] become this entrenched in a community, we need a holistic approach to bend that curve down again,” Zafft added.

In many industries, digital advertising has virtually replaced the need for traditional print ads. After all, online advertising alone is a $149 billion annual business. So the big tech platforms that count on online advertising — like Facebook, YouTube, Google, and more — may not be so pleased to learn that consumers are rebelling against the idea of being forced to watch seemingly endless numbers of online ads.

It seems that internet users want to skip these advertisements by any means necessary. So much so that the use of worldwide ad-blocking software has shot up by 30% in just the last year.

Despite attempts by various platforms to block the use of this software, nearly 11% of all internet users used ad blockers in some way during the last year. This software isn’t relegated to just computers, either; smartphones and tablets now have ways to utilize ad-blocking software.

That 30% increase represents a loss that amounts to tens of billions of dollars for websites and publishers. Because these platforms rely on revenue from these ads, people who use ad blockers are breaking their implicit pact with these companies. Essentially, they’re getting to use a service for free with no consequences, while the websites are forced to take a huge financial hit.

Use of these blocking tools has become especially prevalent in Asian countries and the developing world. In Indonesia, approximately two-thirds of the population that access the internet uses such software. In fact, more than 90% of ad-blocking software used on mobile devices originates from the Asia-Pacific region. It’s often utilized by those who want to save money on their data plans. Since video advertisements eat up a substantial portion of that data, it makes sense that they’d want to remove them. All told, around 380 million smartphones and tablets used ad blocking software last year, representing a 39% increase in that sector alone.

But when ad blockers are used on desktop and laptop computers, it’s typically for another reason: users want to block malware that’s masquerading as advertising. This is an even more understandable reason to block digital ads, as malware poses a substantial threat to users’ privacy and safety while online. In contrast to the high percentage jump that smartphone ad blockers experienced, the use of ad blockers on computers jumped up only by 17% in the last year. Their use is mostly limited to the U.S. and Europe.

However, experts are predicting that this may change in the near future. Sean Blanchfield, chief executive of PageFair — the startup that published the initial report on the dramatic increase — said,

“In the U.S., ad-blocking on mobile is slightly immature. But there’s no doubt that people’s use of it will skyrocket.”

The problem is a significant one for the advertising and marketing industry.

Paul Verna, analyst at eMarketer, stated, “Ad blocking is a detriment to the entire advertising ecosystem.” But Verna noted that there is a way for marketers to fight back: “The best way for the industry to tackle this problem is to deliver compelling ad experiences that consumers won’t want to block.”