February 22, 2007

Global warming in ComputerWorld Magazine

I just finished reading an opinion column about global warming in my computer magazine. So I felt the immediate need to respond to the author. The article can be found on ComputerWorld's website.


Opinion: E-waste Not

Global warming?

“The scientific consensus is that the release of greenhouse gases through the consumption of fossil fuels causes global warming.” (Mark Hall, Computerworld magazine February 19, 2007 Vol 41. No. 8, page 20)

The scientific consensus also believed the world was flat until Christopher Columbus proved them wrong in 1492. Science isn’t always right. There are many scientists that do not buy into the global warming debate as being as drastic as Al Gore and others make it out to be. Notice, I could have used many nicknames for Mr. Gore, but I restrained myself, unlike you, calling the President of the United States names. I realize we have freedom of speech and press, however, a distinguished journalist would not stoop to such levels.

Is global warming happening? Who knows for sure, but one day the earth will definitely be very hot, read Revelation 20 for more information.

For more information about global warming read these articles:
PhillyMagazine
USA Today

February 07, 2007

Running Rendell’s Sales Tax Numbers!

As I am sure everyone knows by now Ed Rendell wants to increase the PA state sales tax (along with other taxes and also borrow money, just to create a larger government) to 7% from 6%. He only told half of the story yesterday, as usual. So here are the real numbers when calculated fully!

According to the IRS table the PA standard sales tax is $596 for a couple making between $50,000 and $60,000 Follow this link for your own calculation (http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=152421,00.html).

So $596 divided by 6% = $9933.33. This is the estimated amount of taxable purchases per year.

If we again spend $9933.33, but this time it is taxed at 7% we will be paying ($9933.33 times 7%) $695 in sales tax.

According to Rendell’s statistics less than one-third of the amount will be going toward property tax relief, the rest will be to pay for more government! So are you willing to pay $100 more a year in sales tax to save $33 a year on property taxes!? That is the real question. In other words, for every $3 you spend on sales tax you will save $1 on property tax. This makes no sense. Now, if Rendell was raising the sales tax and completely eliminating property taxes, then you would have real reform. All he wants to do is shift taxes around and to create a bigger government.

***Note, these calculations do not take into account large purchases, such as cars, homes, boats, tractors, etc. which would increase the amount of sales tax you pay. ***

Wait a minute….didn’t we just legalize gambling in PA to provide property tax relief? What happened to that? Exactly, part of the money is going for property tax relief and the rest is going to bigger government.

It is time for a change. PA is losing jobs, workers, and market freedom (Rendell also wants to limit hand gun sales among other things, but that topic is for another day). Government needs to be cut in half and the free market forces need to be able to balance the supply and demands of the economy without government interference.

Write to all of your representatives and demand that taxes are not raised and no new taxes are created. Stop wasteful government spending and eliminate unnecessary programs and lower taxes before it is too late for all of Pennsylvania.

Alot to think about today!
Wes

February 05, 2007

Kilz Paint Response

Below is the response from Kilz paint regarding our questions. See if they answered our questions by reading the previous blog posting first.

Thank you for contacting Kilz.

1) The only reason certain areas will turn pink after showering is if the product is not 100% dry in those areas. You can either allow more dry time before subjecting the bathroom to moisture from tub/shower or you can prime the surface with Kilz Original oil based primer and then topcoat with Kilz Casual Color Ceiling Paint,. We suggest you put a fan in the doorway and bring in fresh air circulation into the room to help dry faster. Open a window across from the bathroom if possible so the humidity leaves the area.

2) All latex paints (and stains) contain detergent-like substances called surfactants. They can be tan or brown in color, and can appear glossy, soapy, or sticky. These are necessary to the paint formula and are used in the process of making paint. Under certain curing conditions, such as low temperatures or condensing moisture, a leaching process occurs which results in a build-up of surfactants on the surface of the paint film.

Surfactants are not part of the paint film, and their coming out of the paint film does no harm. In most cases, these substances come out of the paint film slowly and are often washed away undetected.

Once the paint has fully dried, wash the affected area with warm water. The problem may occur once or twice more before the surfactants are completely removed.

Kilz Paint

Below is a letter sent to Kilz paint regarding our bathroom walls. The next blog post will be their response.


Hello,

My wife and I purchased 4 gallons of Kilz paint and have some questions about it. Our ceilings and walls are all Dry-Wall which were all primed, but not with Kilz primer.

1. We purchased Kilz stainblocking ceiling paint – interior water-base. It is pink while being applied and then it turns white after it dries. We painted our 3 bathroom ceilings with this in December. Yesterday after our showers, (January 29th) we noticed that certain areas of the ceiling in our master bathroom were turning pink again. We do run the bathroom fan during and after our showers to draw out the moisture. What is causing the ceiling to turn pink? Is this normal? Do we need to do something different? Will this cause any damage to our ceiling?

2. We purchased Casual Color Alfalfa interior semi-gloss enamel (base2) for our master bathroom walls. We applied the paint and it looked terrible. It did not cover the wall very good at all. We put a second coat on the next day and it still seemed very bad, it was too light and you could still almost see the white primer paint behind it. A few days later, we decided to purchase a darker green and repaint. This time it was (Casual Color) Dried Flava (or something like that)interior semi-gloss enamel (bright white/base 1). The first coat didn’t seem to cover the Alfalfa paint very well, so we put a second coat on the next day. We let the paint dry for two days before using the bathroom. It looked better, however, after our shower we notice the walls change color in certain areas and it appears as though the paint is “running” or streaking down the wall. The walls lighten up and look like the original Alfalfa color, then when dry, they turn back to the darker color. Any ideas why the wall is doing this and what can we do to fix this problem? Is this normal? When we touch the streaking area it is just wet with water, no green paint gets on our hands or clothes.

I am glad to say that the last gallon of paint we bought, CasualColor Blue Point interior semi-gloss enamel (bright white/base 1), appears to have covered our ½ bath walls nicely with one coat.

We painted the ceilings and walls with the same type of brushes and rollers using the same techniques. All of the walls were built at the same time (2005). Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you