Mouse and rat control is a lot easier than most people think. Preventive maintenance such as keeping lids on trash cans, eliminating entry points into your house and most importantly, sanitation, are crucial to controlling these pests. Uneaten pet food and piles of debris in and outside the house are havens for rodents. Sometimes elements outside your control, like having slobs for neighbors, or new construction in the area can easily attract rats and mice. So, when it’s time to get rid of mice or rats, mouse traps and rat traps are the best way to rid your home of these nasty creatures.

Before you implement a mouse or rat control program, it’s always best to know the signs of a rodent infestation. Seeing a mouse or rat run through your garbage is an obvious sign, but more telling signs you have a mouse or rat issue are rub marks along walls, strong urine odors, gnawing and droppings.

What to use for bait it also key. Most people believe cheese to be the best, but unless you’re trying to catch Jerry, use peanut butter on mouse traps; Fig Newton’s work great too. Using raw hickory smoked bacon has proven to work great for rats.

Below you’ll find the best traps to kill and get rid of mice and or rats. Using traps, if positioned and used correctly, is the best form of mouse and rat control, especially if you have animals and or children.

1. Paper and Tray Glue boards – This is, hands down, the easiest and safest mouse and rat trap. Especially if you have children and pets. Just place these traps along a wall or in a corner until a mouse or rat comes along.

2. Mouse / Rat Snap Traps – There are many types of snap traps on the market, but the most common are the basic pull back and set style, and the all so popular, and very effective expanded trigger versions. The wider trigger paddle increases the catch rate immensely.

3. Auto Set Snap traps – These are great for the people who are deathly afraid of setting the standard snap traps. The easy quick set mechanisms make this trap ideal for the novice mouse hunter.

4. Bait stations with T-Rex – Basically a black box with a trap inside. Mice and rats never see it coming. The most popular bait box / station trap combination is made by Protecta with a T-Rex trap. The bait box acts as harborage and safe haven for mice and rats, and this style of trap plays a safety role when children and pets are present.

5. Tin cat – This trap acts as a monitor / mouse trap that uses the peel off mouse glue board by Catchmaster. Widely used in used food packing plants and stores, but can easily be used in your home. Tin cats are enclosed which helps you to avoid have the rodent being stuck to an exposed glue board.

6. Ketch-All wind up – A wind up multi catch trap that doesn’t kill, at least most of the time. Mice crawl into an opening and the spinning paddle swoops them into a holding cell.

7. Live trap – A lot like the Ketch-All, a live trap is a lot smaller version of standard live cat and dog traps. A Fig Newton or peanut butter in the back behind the trigger plate does the trick every time.

8. Cube Tilt Trap – A cube trap is a gravity trap with a door on one end. When the mouse enters, the cube tilts causing the door to close. Peanut butter at the back of the tube works great.

9. Electric Trap – This trap speaks for itself.

10. Homemade – This is for the guy who wants to make a better mouse / rat trap, or wants to try something different. The most common is the 5 gallon bucket and soda can with wire stretched across the top. Don’t forget to place the board on the lip of the bucket (AKA plank), before you send the local mice and rat populations to their death.

Electronics such as LED TVs are an expensive investment, so it makes sense to protect them and extend the life of the machine. For most people, buying their electronics an extended warranty is the next logical step after a big-ticket purchase.

A warranty gives people peace of mind with the knowledge that if their electronic appliances break, they can be fixed or replaced at no additional charge. Some electronics, like plasma TVs, can be very expensive to repair. If a plasma TV breaks down, a service warranty should cover the labor and replacement of parts, or the replacement of the TV if it cannot be repaired.

An important thing to remember about getting an extended service warranty is that one should always read the fine print. A knowledgeable salesperson would help explain the terms, but one should also take time to read all the details and understand the terms of extended warranty coverage. This way, one knows the kind of coverage one is getting with an expensive electronic appliance.

After purchasing electronics and extended warranty services, one should keep the receipt in a safe place where it is easy to retrieve. Having the receipt on hand is important for a number of reasons. A receipt contains the date of validity of the extended warranty coverage. One needs to track the date of expiration to ensure coverage if an appliance breaks down. Customers also need to present the receipt when making a warranty claim. Keeping the receipt and tracking important dates can go a long way towards making a warranty claim hassle-free.

UB04 claim forms are use by facilities such as hospitals and clinics to submit medical insurance claims to insurance carriers as opposed to CMS1500 claim forms which are used by doctors and other medical providers to submit their claims. This includes drug and alcohol rehab facilities, eating order facilities and surgery centers. When a medical office is classified as a facility with an insurance carrier it is necessary to submit the claims on the UB04 which is much less familiar to most than the CMS1500 form. While most medical billers are very familiar with the CMS1500 form the UB04 form can seem very complicated.

The facility forms look similar to the CMS forms in that they are printed in red ink on white paper. They can be purchased where most CMS forms are available and they can also be submitted electronically as well as on paper.

The UBO4 requires a few fields which are totally different than fields required on the CMS form. Some of these fields include Rev Codes, type of bill, condition codes, and value codes which can make it terribly confusing to the biller only familiar with CMS forms. In order to get UB04 claims paid, the biller must learn what these fields are and how to complete them correctly for their situation. Many of the other fields on the UBO4 form are similar to the CMS form but these few different ones must be completed correctly.

Many of the boxes on this form are not required for other than hospital billing so the biller must know which boxes must be filled. In order to avoid time consuming resubmissions for denials of these claims you want to make sure they are completed correctly. Charges for claims files on UBO4 forms generally are higher than charges billed for many medical specialties so the amount of money tied up when claims are denied for incorrect information can be substantial.

It is not unusual for many of the clinics and facilities to be out of network with most insurance carriers and therefore not billing on the UB04 forms as they are not billing the insurance carriers, they are collecting the payment from the patients. But some of these patients are finding out that they have out of network benefits which means the insurance carrier would reimburse them for all or part of the expenses. The patients are then responsible for billing the insurance carriers. The insurance carriers may then demand that the claims be submitted on UB04 forms and it ends up the responsibility of the confused patient.

No matter who is submitting the facility claims, they must be completed correctly for the insurance carriers to consider payment.

Copyright 2011 – Alice Scott

The Japanese automotive and motorcycle manufacturer ‘Honda Motor Company’ launched Honda CRV in 2007. It was a great hit in the Indian SUV market. This SUV has very bold looks which makes people to touch the car and feel it. Honda CR-V 2007 comes in 3 versions with 2 engines and 2 transmissions and variant colors like Premium White Pearl, Nighthawk Black Pearl, Green Tea Metallic, New Red Pearl and Whistler Silver Metallic attract buyers. They are:

Honda CRV 2007 2.0 2WD (1997cc Petrol, Manual, 8.76 kpl) – It is a SUV, it has 2.0 L engine with Collapsible, Electrical power assisted steering and also 6/M gears, Power: 143/19.3, A/C, P/S, P/W, ABS2, Airbags. The price tag of this car is around Rs. 22,32,075 in Indian market.

Honda CRV 2007 2.4 MT (2354cc Petrol, Manual, 8.44 kpl) – 2354/4, 5/M gears, Power: 152/21.9, A/C, P/S, P/W, ABS2, Airbags. The price tag of this car is around Rs. 23,78,345

Honda CRV 2007 2.4 AT (2354cc Petrol, Automatic, 6.9 kpl) – 2354/4, 5/A gears, Power: 161/21.9, A/C, P/S, P/W, ABS2, Airbags, 2.4 L Engine with Real time 4WD, Automatic transmission, Collapsible, Hydraulic Power Assisted steering. The price tag of this car is around Rs. 24,53,992

The interior look of the Honda CRV is elegant and rich in quality. It is very beautiful with a dynamic dashboard and plush leather upholstery. The SUV is equipped with Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) reduction and provides an ultra-silent cabin. The floating-type, rear seat armrest contains two cup-holders. The glove box also comes with a massive space for all your small items.

The conversation mirror inside the cabin of CRV serves as a sunglass holder as well. It has taken the responsibility of safety which is loaded with advanced safety features like G-Force Control technology allows the collision energy to be effectively absorbed and dispersed, which reduces the impact of accidents. It is equipped with Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Security alarm & immobilizer.

Overall the Engine choices on offer are the well refined 2.0 litre and 2.4 litre. The 2.4 L version also comes with an automatic. This rightly brings with the manual transmission and it is 143 bhp of power for the 2.0 L and 161 bhp of power for the 2.4 L. When it comes to mileage, Honda CRV (petrol) gives 12 km in highways and 9 km in cities. Honda is also planning to launch diesel version of Honda CRV in mid 2011 which is also expected to be a grand hit in Indian market.

Security systems are designed to keep your home or business premises safe and secure at all times. With so many different systems available it can be hard to know what to choose. This article takes a look at three popular types of security system, and it explains how to find a security system retailer in your area.

CCTV

CCTV can be used in a number of ways, and it is commonly used in retail stores to lower the risk of theft. It will also help to prevent dishonest employees from stealing from you. CCTV can be used on streets, roads and walkways to protect members of the public. It can also be used in homes to prevent intruders from entering the property. In the event of an intrusion the CCTV footage can be recalled and used as evidence.

Alarms

Alarms will protect your home or business from intruders. Just the sight of an alarm box will help to deter potential thieves. Alarms can be set up to go off when a sensor is triggered, and some systems will allow you to set different alarm zones throughout the house. Alarms are available in a huge range of shapes and sizes. They can also be monitored, that is when a signal is sent to an alarm company or to the police who will be able to respond quickly. An alarm specialist will advise you on the best type of alarm system for your needs.

Accessing Systems

Accessing systems are used to control who enters the building. They are popular in many businesses as they will stop people with unauthorized access from entering the building, the elevators or a specific room. They also provide the business owner with a detailed log of who has accessed the building, and who is located in the building at any given time. Employees can be given special key cards, or personal passcodes that allow them to access the building. When that employee leaves the company the code or card can be deactivated making the system completely secure.

Accessing systems can also be used in residential properties. They can be placed next to gates, and the visitor can then press a buzzer which will make a noise in the house on an intercom system. Once the homeowner validates the identity of the person they can choose to open the gates and let them in. Accessing systems can also be used in conjunction with CCTV to allow you to have a visual image of the visitor.

Security System Suppliers

If you are wanting to purchase any of the above products then it is best to find a specialist company that sells security systems. Not only will they have the largest selection of products, but they will also have knowledgeable employees who will be able to help you to make the right choice. You can find these specialists by searching for them online. Always choose a reputable retailer to ensure that you are purchasing high quality products which are built to last.

VTech InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet

The VTech InnoTab is an electronic device which resembles a tablet PC. This device, however, serves as an educational toy for children. The InnoTab Learning Tablet boasts various features such as a 5 inch color touch screen complete with tilt-sensor, as well as learning apps such as e-books, creative activities, educational games, and many more.

To open various formats of e-books, the VTech InnoTab Interactive Learning Tablet is equipped with four different e-book readers. The device also comes with other programs for entertainment such as photo and image viewer, video player, and MP3 music player. The InnoTab Learning Tablet is also equipped with 64 MB of onboard memory. To expand the storage capacity, you can insert an SD card (which you can purchase separately) into the available SD card slot. This educational toy is compatible with both PC and Mac. You can connect the tablet to your PC with a USB cable which is included in the box.

The InnoTab is not just a mere toy, it is almost as good as the real deal. The touch screen as well as the tilt sensor provides a more interactive gameplay. Besides the video player, e-book readers, and the MP3 player, the device is also pre-installed with other equally exciting apps such as Art Studio, Friends List, Calculator, Clock, and Interactive Globe. For more learning options, you purchase additional software cartridges that contain more educational games and activities featuring children’s favorite cartoon characters such as Dora the Explorer and Mickey Mouse. You can also access VTech’s Learning Lodge Navigator to download additional contents such as games and e-books.

The VTech InnoTab measures 9 in x 1 in x 10 in and weighs 2.4 lbs. It is available in two color choices: blue and pink. You can get one for $79 (price may vary between retailers). The device is suitable for children aged 4 to 9 years.

About VTech

VTech is an abbreviation of Video Technology Ltd., which is a Hong Kong-based company specialized in manufacturing consumer electronics. Products of VTech include cordless phones and accessories, single-function computers such as email appliances, and simple computerized educational toys for children. The InnoTab Learning Tablet is only one of the many educational learning toys produced by this company. Others include the V Flash game console, V Smile Learning System, Kidizoom Camera, the Whiz Kids Learning System, Nitro Notebook, Capsela, and other infant and pre-school toys.

Believe it or not my business was started with a box of junk. I run a Copywriting and Marketing consulting business and also a business software company. My online presence and really my entire business was all created from a box of electronics junk…

I had been hauling around a box full of ancient electron tubes (for you younger readers tubes were used in all the electronics from the early 70’s and going back before they were replaced with transistors and later integrated circuits.) These tubes had been thrown out by the Army when they were cleaning out their inventories, but the tubes were essentially all “brand new” unused and still in the original boxes. I did some experimenting at the time with some of them, but for the most part this box kicked around the house.

Then recently I wanted to start my own business to supplement and eventually replace my income. How does one start a business? Well I looked online and bought some books, went to the library, etc. I found a business I wanted to pursue and really began to research it.

What I found was that there are 2 camps: 1.) The “You need a lot of money saved up front if you want to start this business…” camp, and 2.) The “You don’t need anything but our system and just sit back and watch the money roll in” camp.

Lets cut the crap: You do need some money for at least the bare essentials, but is it possible to create a business with just a few hundred or thousand dollars and make it work? On the other hand, there is no “system” out there that can generate tons of cash while you sit back and let it run on autopilot. I don’t care what anyone says, there is no such system, and no actual proof of such a system working. If you buy into that hype you will get the deserved moniker of “Sucker” because that is what you will be.

Back to the question: Can you create, with just a few dollars, a real business? I believe you can. I took that box of junk tubes and auctioned them on the Internet along with some other stuff around the house I did not need. I used the money to buy books, and other small essentials for the business such as domain names and a 2 year contract for my ISP. All without touching my other income from my “real job” which is for my family to live on.

As for software, I just started collecting free stuff and finding ways to make it work together. The fact is if you know what you are doing (and 22 years as a professional Software engineer helps me here) you can put together everything you need by finding free software and building the few other items you need. It can be done, check my site for the proof. I have what some businesses pay tens of thousands of dollars for, and it cost me almost nothing. Here is a list of the kinds of things you can find software to do (remember sometimes it takes several items put together to get this all to work). This is all LEGAL software I would never advise EVER using illegal, pirated, or otherwise stolen software. It is not worth it because you can be sued an legally lose your business and perhaps much more! You can even go to jail..just not worth it!

So without further ado here is a partial list:

Web site creation

Web site templates

Flash component creation (Wow!)

Audio on your page

Audio books, reports, etc.

Flash Audio Button makers

Video creation

Video books, etc.

Blogging software and scripts

Forum Software and scripts

Podcasting software

Internet radio station software

PDF creation or conversion

Unblockable pop-ups, pop-overs, pop-unders

Enormous quantities of scripts to make you site look professionally designed.

Complete office suites for your business documentation

Complete databases and contact managers

Split testers for you landing pages

Article submitters

Huge collections of what is basically “Swipe Files” for copywriters and marketers

Box Shot and Book Shot makers for you Info Products

Opt-in templates, pages, and scripts

Autoresponders

Web Servers (for serving your own sites)

And much more…

I have not purchased any “Big time” software but got everything free or for less that a dollar on ebay. There is simply tons of stuff, more than I can use, but I have created a site where you can get all of this stuff for free. My site “HardToFindSoftware.com” was created to filter through all of the freely available software and other useful business information products, reports, books, etc. and put them in one place, linked together by relevance and usefulness, and show which things work best with which other things. I do a complete review and list all the warts and defects I have found as well as all the great stuff about these softwares and other items. There are lots of sites that have massive lists of free software, but they rarely put these into useful categories for the business builder, and they rarely review them (there are a couple notable exceptions). HardToFindSoftware does all of this so you can just go there and get what you need (all for free!) and know ahead of time what things might not meet your expectations. Finally there is a forum for discussion and updates as well and you can opt in to receive updates via email.

One other thing, some of you may have noticed that “HardToFindSoftware” sounds very much like Michael Senoff’s “HardToFindSeminars.com” or his “HardToFindAds”. First of all there is no relationship between his business and mine of any kind except for the fact that I absolutely love his site and would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about building a real business! He gives away enormous quantities of free audio files on every conceivable subject about business. I admire that so much I decided to use the template he laid out to create “HardToFindSoftware”. Besides, it makes good business sense and believe it or not, the domain was available…I used more junk money to buy it too!

Blessings on your business ventures!

David T. McKee

Most of us are looking for ways to cut costs while purchasing something that is of good quality. Bargain hunters frequent seasonal and clearance sales to score something that fits their budget. But since such sales happen once or twice a year, some of them opt to buy refurbished items.

Usually, such refurbished products sell at 50% to 70% off its original price. Prices differ according to refurbish classification as some items are factory refurbished while others are third-party refurbished. And although the term “refurbished” does not really give a negative connotation, people differs in understanding of what constitutes a refurbished product.

Here is a guideline to help you identify which refurbished products are worth risking.

1. Not all refurbished products are the same. As mentioned earlier, “refurb” items may be classified into manufacturer or factory refurbs or third-party refurbs. The latter offers bigger discount and a warranty (from the third-party shop) but the former is the only one with factory or manufacturer warranty.

2. Refurbished differs from reconditioned items. A refurbished item may or may not have repaired or installed, and may or may not be slightly used. A reconditioned item, on the other hand, refers to a product previously used for a certain period and was repaired and then resold by a retailer.

3. Refurbished Electronics were items returned for several reasons. Most refurbished items are returned to manufacturers because of a certain reason. Manufacturers retest the item in the factory to make sure that they are still in good working condition. If there are damages of defective parts observed, that’s the time that they will replace it and repack it to look “like new.”

4. Reasons for returns include shipping damage, opened box, demonstration units, overstock items, defects during production, or simply customer’s return. Since retailer stores offer 30-day money back guarantees, some customers return items that they do not really fancy. If there is nothing wrong with the product, stores will reduce the price and sell it as an open box. But if there were defects found, they will send it to the factory or manufacturer to have it repaired.

Most experts recommend being cautious of such products. But if you really want to get a good bargain, opt to settle to manufacturer/factory-refurbished items. That way, you can be sure that there is manufacturer’s warranty, and the product still holds the manufacturer’s reliability and reputation. You can be assured that what is being sold to you is still under good condition since manufacturers won’t sell damaged items for it will ruin their name in the market.

But of course, the safest would be to buy a new one. Go online and you will see that retailer stores have price cuts offered at different times of the year. Check electronic stores once in a while and you are sure to get a good bargain for a spanking new LCD television.

DLO cable is very different than THHN wire because they are both designed and manufactured for different daily struggles. THHN is commonly used indoors, outdoors and in conduit applications and it remains still for its entire life. DLO cable, on the other hand, is used outdoors and commonly handled on a day to day basis giving it a few variations as to the amount of protection and user handle ability.

THHN is dual rated with THWN as a thermoplastic hook up wire with a nylon coating. Thick bare copper strands, or even a single solid strand, of copper create a stiff electrical wire for easier installation in conduit. Pushing a flexible cable through conduit will prove to be very difficult.

Since DLO cable is handled by the user on a day to day basis the flexible copper strands help the user bring the cable from point A to point B. DLO cable is also commonly wound up onto a large spool for the day giving it another reason to be manufactured as a flexible cable.

DLO stands for Diesel Locomotive Cable which is obviously used in locomotive installations and other applications that require higher than normal voltage. It’s a 2000 volt single conductor power cable with rubber EPDM insulation and a second rubber jacket even though it’s only a single conductor. The added insulation approves it for high voltage but gives it a think outer diameter that may need to be considered when installing it in raceway.

THHN 10 AWG electrical wire is used in homes and buildings to run power from the electrical box to the outlets, lights and appliances throughout. Running a single 10 AWG wire is less common than running an NMB cable with multiple 10 AWG wires. Most of the applications throughout homes and buildings requires more than one THHN wire at a time making NMB 10/3 a common household electrical wire.

You’ll find in your search that DLO cable is much more expensive than THHN wire. Remember that there won’t be a difference in price based on the amount of copper because both are 10 AWG. So the price difference lies in the insulation, construction and approval process. DLO, for instance, is UL, CSA, MSHA and RoHS compliant while THHN only has a UL and RoHS approval.

Speak to your electrician or your wire and cable provider about the type of wire you need and the AWG size for the application. Choosing it your self can cause all kinds of problems that will be found during the inspection process so make sure everything is done right the first time.