What Does The Ideal Water System For The 21st Century Look Like?

 

Water systems around the world are aging fast. Whether the problem stems from insufficient infrastructure caused by urban growth or pipes that simply haven’t been maintained over the years, municipalities are looking at ways to improve their pipes as both a way to conserve water and save money in the long run.  There are a few different piping approaches and technologies today. Here’s an overview of some of the systems cities are trying.

 

Replacing the 20th century mindset towards water

The 20th century approached water with a channel system. For instance, every city had a web of storm drains, sewer systems, reservoirs, and other pipes which would attempt to control the flow of water. On a day-to-day basis this system worked the way that it was supposed to.

The trouble arose when there were heavy rainfalls or storms within the city. The water would gather until it overflowed and would result in serious floods and other kinds of water damage. This would get particularly dangerous at times because all of a sudden there is a mass of water that has collected and cannot be contained. Still water causes a host issues, especially when it comes to collecting pollutants that winds up in water sources after the fact.

 

This has become an even bigger issue over the past couple decades as cities are facing larger and larger storms than ever before. Surprisingly, urban planners are not all suggesting more complex storm drainage systems as many might expect. Instead they are suggesting to develop what is considered a more “green infrastructure” approach.

This is called a “low-impact development.” Rather than channeling water into pipes and storm drains, this system focuses on allowing urban runoff to be naturally absorbed by the earth. This creates less strain on the drainage and sewer systems, while also letting the natural weather cycles still occur. The Dutch have mastered this approach over past centuries and many are looking to them for inspiration.

 

IoT Systems & Wastage Reduction

Another tool which cities are using is IoT systems. IoT is an abbreviation for “Internet of Things” and refers to devices which can be connected to an online network to inform and communicate with humans. These systems can be especially useful if wastage is a concern. For instance, sensors can be placed in areas where leakage might be a concern and can then alert you when moisture is detected.

 

Wasted water has always been a big problem in cities across the world and IoT systems could be a powerful tool is reducing water wastage. By letting water systems monitoring technicians see a leaky pipe from a remote distance, millions of gallons of wasted water could be reduce. Indeed, IoT is one of the most exciting and potentially impactful innovations  in the field of pipeline leak detection.

 

Upgrading Old Pipes with New Materials

 

When it comes to the actual materials used in pipe construction, many are opting for a different approach than the cast iron and other metallic pipes that have dominated infrastructure during the 20th century.

 

Wooden Pipes

Wooden pipes might sound like a strange idea to anyone who has never heard about them before, but they are actually revolutionizing how we imagine water and pipe systems. Leaks might be the first concern raised about these pipes, but the assembly and the natural properties of wood solve this issue.

 

The pieces are fitted together like a puzzle. When water is put into the pipe the wood absorbs a bit of it and naturally expands against the reinforcing steel bands. The result is an air-tight and well sealed pipe. The material is also easier to transport, a renewable resource, and corrosion is not an issue as it is with other materials.

 

PVC Pipe

PVC, which stands for polyvinyl chloride, is an extremely popular choice and is fast becoming the most common among pipe systems around the world. It is mainly manufactured with natural gas and salt, making it inexpensive without having any impact on quality. Indeed, it also has a long lifespan, meaning that valuable resources are not wasted on replacements.

Conclusion

We will be seeing big changes in the coming decades in the world of water drain systems. Indeed, the concrete and metal approaches are being replaced with greener technology like floodwater plains & wooden pipes. In addition, technology can help detect issues with pipes easier than ever. In short, the water system of the 21st century will be a part of nature rather than combatting it while using innovative technologies to make monitoring easier than ever before.

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Check Your Confidence Levels

Would you like to be confident? Your answer may be – yes; I do want to be confident. However, this answer lacks the impact. It is too generalized. Just like everybody wants to do well in life and be rich but not many ever realize this wish. This is because to actually get somewhere in life, you need to quantify your confidence. You need to define the task for which you need to be confident so that you can execute it successfully.  A mere wish to be confident won’t take you anywhere. The dream must have a deadline as well!

Self Confidence might mean different things to different people groups. For a child it might mean to be able to recite the poem to her teacher the next morning. For a business executive it might mean to be able to present the business report to the Board of Directors. For a salaried person it may be the ability to be able to make a switch over from his secure job to a new independent venture and so on. To execute their respective tasks, these people need a certain level of confidence, which would see them through. Every task requires a minimum level of confidence to be able to be executed. Do you have a task in your mind to be done? Do you have the level of confidence required? Let us check it out!

 

Following is a simple questionnaire. You have to answer to these in a YES or NO

 

1. Does it happen too often with you that you cannot take a decision all by yourself and you seem to look for your colleagues, friends, or your spouse to sort the matter for you?
2. Do you always seem to be in perpetual need of a support system wherein you can feel secure?
3. Do you just sit and listen all the times in your office meetings?
4. Do you feel difficulty in reporting a matter to your boss or you have an excellent idea that can improve your company’s efficiency but you cannot muster enough courage to go and talk about it to your Boss?
5. Are you terrified to meet someone new? Is public speaking your worst nightmare?
6. Do you timidly accept orders from your superior even though you know that you are already overloaded and you need to say no?
7. Are you excessively concerned about what other people think of you?
8. Do you fear taking risks?
9. Do you feel dissatisfied about your appearance?
10. Are you uncomfortable in social gatherings – being amongst lots of people?

 

If you happen to answer these questions with a Yes, you seem to have a confidence crisis that might become an obstacle in successfully executing your tasks. Don’t Panic, as it is good that you found out since now you are aware of a potential problem of your life. The very fact that you are aware of your confidence rating makes you ready to take further action and work towards eliminating the negative effects of low confidence levels and work towards building your self confidence.

 

Here are some more questions you may answer.

 

1. Have you accomplished anything in the past?
2. Are you the one to go ahead and break the ice at a new place or wait for someone else to initiate a discussion?
3. Do you feel you are well respected by others?
4. Do you think you have the potential to succeed?
5. Are you a happy and loving person?
6. Are you satisfied with your career graph?
7. Are you satisfied with your skills and qualifications?
8. Do you feel in control of your life?
9. Do you imagine yourself to be more successful five years from now?
10. Do you feel that you are a worthwhile person?

 

If you happen to answer most of these questions with a NO, you have LOW self-confidence levels.

 

However, a YES is never decisive and a NO is never final. One needs to constantly maintain the good points and work towards converting bad points into good points. And the good news is that it is very much possible. It’s important that you honestly answer the questions above, since only when you realize the present status of your self-confidence would you be working towards building self-confidence or maintaining and increasing your present levels.

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The Way to Wellness, It’s Time to Start a Healthy Life

 

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you’ll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don’t feel like exercising?

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn’t mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness — and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.

 

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

 

Here’s a sample exercise program that may work for you:

• Warm Up — seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.
• Resistance Training — Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.
• Aerobic Exercise — Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.
• Stretching — Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.

• From one to eight weeks — Feel better and have more energy.
• From two to six months — Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat.
• After six months — Start losing weight quite rapidly.

 

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don’t stop there. You should also change your diet and/or eating habits,’ says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines:

 

• Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day
• Make sure every meal is balanced — incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and fruits
• Limit your fat intake to only what’s necessary for adequate flavor
• Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day
• I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

 

I suppose that’s all I can think of for now. I should extend my thanks to a doctor friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to write this article, or keep my sanity.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

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How to Spend Less Money and Save More Every Day

 

 

One of the main reasons that people become bankrupt is that they cannot control their spending habits. Many of them spend far more then they have. Credit car after credit card is maxed out and their salary is spent the minute it comes in. Bills are paid only sporadically and not entirely.

Going bankrupt is bad for your reputation. You credit report is no longer clean, and this makes it very difficult to get a loan or any kind of job. It can cause you to become stressed out and eventually depressed.

 

The best way of managing your finances is, save more and don’t spend too much. If this is difficult for you, the tips below could be helpful to you:

 

1. Automated payments. You could enroll as many due accounts as you can to your savings account or your current one. When they’re due to be paid, the amount will be automatically taken off your accounts. All you have to do is make sure you leave enough money on your bank.

 

2. Less leisure. Most of the things you spend money on are not really essentials. Instead of eating at a restaurant and spending a lot of money, you could cook a meal at your own home for much less. Instead of going to the movie theater you could wait until they come out on DVD, that way you can even keep the movies. Schedule as many errands as you can on one trip, this saves you money on gas or other forms of transport.

 

3. Save your pennies. Instead of throwing your pennies away or just leaving them somewhere you can save them up in a jar, drawer or even get a piggy bank. You might be surprised how quickly those pennies add up.

 

4. Teach Your Household To Be Saving. You shouldn’t be the only one saving. You should teach your family and friends to be saving too. Children shouldn’t ask for large amounts of money for trivial things and partners can cut down on drinks with friends.

 

5. Change Your Thought Patterns. Maybe you think you shouldn’t be tied to material things, so you waste them. Well you don’t have to be thinking about money or things all the time, but you should be thinking about the future and saving for harder times ahead.

 

Affirmations and subliminal messages are a good way to change your thought patterns. Whenever you feel like spending lot of money of something you don’t really need, you should repeat these lines:-

 

I must save for my future.

My future is up to me.

Money is important, I should take care of it.

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The Power of Imagining Yourself Achieving Your Goals

 

How confident do you feel today? Probably like most people, you are feeling a little less self confident about at least one thing in your life. That is perfectly normal, especially if our life experiences are taking us a little out of our comfort zone.  The problem arises when low self-esteem and feelings of low self worth are something we carry around with us all the time.

Whether we are experiencing a temporary feeling of lack of self-confidence, or one we face every day, there are some steps we can take to turn around low self-confidence into a belief that the can be successful in our endeavors.

 

1. Imagine Yourself Achieving Your Goals

 

The first step is to imagine yourself achieving whatever it is you are feeling less than self confident about. If we can begin to imagine ourselves achieving our goals, we are well on the way to achieving them.

 

Articulating our goals, by either writing them down or telling them to a friend and then constantly reaffirming ourselves having achieved those goals, is essential to achieving them.

 

2. Act as if You Have Achieved Your Goal

 

To develop self-confidence, you must start to put action into your imagination. Once you have imagined yourself achieving you must begin to act as if you are achieving your goals, even if on the inside you still feel far from self-confident.

 

People who want to feel more confident in public speaking must practice it or they cannot achieve it. This may be as simple as attending a group meeting with a list of pre thought about questions to help you overcome your fear of initiating conversations with strangers. To achieve self-confidence in talking to strangers, you must practice talking to them.

 

3. Practice Your Achievements

 

Keep practicing until you feel self-confident and begin to enjoy what you previously feared. It’s important you praise yourself for achieving your goals. Even if others also praise your efforts, it’s what you tell yourself about your achievements, which could mean the difference between becoming self-confident and continuing to struggle with low self-esteem.

 

Perhaps you are wondering if   this talk of self-confidence and self-worth is something that is beneficial and if it is appropriate look act as if you are self-confident. . In his book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie wrote in the chapter on “How to Spur People onto Success,” the importance of “Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement… Be lavish in Praise.” Very few people give this gift to us, so we must learn to give it to ourselves.

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