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Choosing A Event Videographer For Your Event Video

TOP TIPS FOR FILMING EVENT VIDEO WHILE ALSO USING PHOTOGRAPHY

Capturing event video and photography at the same time as a solo producer can be tough, but preparation and planning make it possible. We’ve compiled this list of top tips for filming event video while also using photography to help you get the most out of your resources when on location.

Video and photos captured together make for a double paycheck right? Seemingly yes, but so many mistakes can arise when a single person attempts to capture film and photos at the same time. This is not to say it is impossible–but, to keep your sanity, follow the steps below.

USE YOUR STRENGTHS

As a videographer, you should already have a solid idea as to what you are and are not capable of. Use your strengths to your advantage and capture photos and video that plays with those strengths. If you’re not great at photography, focus more on video. If you’re better at photos, focus more there and less on the latter.

CAPTURE VIDEO IN MOTION

As you determine when to switch between video and photography, consider the general rule — video loves motion, photos love still life. It may be a little bit more difficult to focus and adjust on the fly, but capturing the motions of the event on video will certainly produce the best footage for the final edit.

Avoid Shaky Footage

Have you ever watched a video and the person filming just couldn’t keep the subject in frame?  You probably got so frustrated, you wanted to just give up watching.

This is not the viewer experience you want to give you audience.

Now, shooting handheld footage, in some cases, works really well and can be an effective way to move your audience in an emotional direction.

Unfortunately, when it comes to shooting your business videos, this may not be the best style to take. The fact is, shaky footage looks amateur, and although you may be a beginner, your videos shouldn’t reflect it.

Remember, videos are an important touchpoint with your brand and achieving that clean, professional look in them will build credibility and trust.

No Tripod, No Problem

There are a couple manual techniques you can use to avoid shakiness while shooting your videos:

  • T-Rex Arms – Take the camera with both hands, and bring your elbows into your body just under your armpits and the camera close to your chest.
  • Human Tripod – Use your surroundings as a place to rest your elbows. Find the ideal height for your shot and spread your legs about shoulder width apart to form the “Human Tripod.”

Stabilizing Gear

Ok, so you have techniques for when you’re on the go with little equipment, but sometimes, you need gear to give you that extra edge.  What should you get?

  • Monopod – Ideal for almost every scenario, a monopod allows you to move quickly and set up quickly. A monopod is simply a tripod but with only one leg (hence the name monopod). It’s almost like a selfie stick that stands on its own.
  • Tripod – This is the most common of all stabilizing gear, and a great tool for all types of situations; Interviews, close-ups, time-lapse just to name a few.
  • Gimbal – A mechanical device that gives an object, such as a camera, the ability to rotate around a single axis. In simple terms, it’s a device that allows you to attach a camera and with the right calibration, that camera will stay centered and fixed on a single plane.

Give importance to sound quality

A video is essential to capture the picture of your event, but it’s equally important to care about the sound quality of your event video. Especially when you have a human figure talking on the screen in videos with speech, presentation, anchor hosting, interviews, testimonials, etc. You may choose to add the audio during post-production, but be sure that you are carrying the right equipment to record clear sound bites from the event.

ADD TEXT TO YOUR EVENT VIDEO

Consider adding text to those videos where sound quality fails to deliver the message. A lot of videos are watched on mute these days. In fact, a recent study says that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. Modern-day viewers consume videos passively while commuting to their destination or in public spaces. Adding text to the video is critical since they would help the viewer understand the video in its context in spite of its bad sound quality or on mute.

Set up Your Event Like a Professional Party Planner

If you’re just starting out in event planning, this video will still be really helpful for you as this professional event planner shows you her event set up process for an actual client. Most private events won’t include event staff to help you, so knowing how to successfully set up an event is a skill you’ll need at some point.

Main Takeaway: From production kits to client communication, this event planning video has you covered for all your event set up basics.

How Event Videography Rates Are Determined

First, let’s consider what to expect when budgeting for event videography, how rates work for your event filming. Most videographers or professional event videography companies will charge a base rate such as a “day” rate or a “half-day” rate. This is the bare minimum cost that you can expect for event video production services for a full day, which is 8 to 10 hours, depending on the company or a half-day, which is usually 4 hours.

MULTI-DAY COVERAGE

If you have a multi-day event taking place, you will likely need to budget for a multi-day event videographer to cover your event. While there may be discounts for multiple days of filming, you can generally expect to pay the full-day rate for each day that you utilize event videography services to record real-time footage.

DURATION OF EVENT

For short events, an hourly rate may be more budget-friendly. However, keep in mind that with an hourly rate, you are often required to secure at least 4 hours, and if your event goes over at all, the rate is significantly higher than the standard rate. As such, it is generally best to pay for a half-day even if you believe your event will be less than 4 hours in total length.

KEEP IN MIND

Various factors influence the amount you will pay for event coverage. As you’re budgeting for event videography, keep in mind that the following factors have a lot to do with the total cost of event video production services:

  • Location of the event. Filming in major cities may cost more at peak times.
  • Date and time of the event. Peak dates, including holidays and weekends, may cost more.
  • Editing of final footage. Events that include final footage with customizations, extensive graphics, or another major editing will cost more.
  • Special equipment needed for production. Things like drone footage, additional lighting, special audio equipment, or other needs can add to production costs.
  • The number of cameras used. Each camera adds resources and increases costs.
  • Consulting for the script, talent casting, or storyboarding. Although generally not required for events, additional consulting can add to the total budgeted cost.
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Electrical Maintenance Issues And Costs

Electrical Safety

What is Electrical Safety?

Electrical safety is a general practice of workers who are exposed to handling and maintaining electrically powered equipment. It is a set of guidelines they follow to mitigate electrical hazards and prevent its dangerous effects in case of an incident. Unable to adhere to electrical safety can lead to accidents, near misses, or even fatalities.

Why Eliminate Electrical Hazards?

On the job site, working around electricity can be very safe when workers properly identify and control hazards. But, inadequate training, lack of experience and failure to recognize potential hazards could result in electric shock or death.

The construction industry is most at danger from electrical hazards, accounting for 52% of all electrical fatalities in the US workplace. Most of these incidents and fatalities were caused by direct worker contact with overhead power lines and contact with machines, tools, and hand-carried metallic objects. So how do we protect ourselves against these dangers?

Who is at Risk?

Engineers, electricians, and overhead line workers are at the top of the list of professionals who are most exposed to electrical hazards. Common tasks that put these workers at risk include electrical installation and repairs, testing of fixtures and equipment and inspection and maintenance activities. However, people who are indirectly working with electricity like office workers are also exposed to electrical hazards.

Electrical Hazards: Know Your Limits!

Electrocution is one of the most common hazards across construction sites according to OSHA. Identifying electrical hazards can help raise awareness of the risks, their severity, and how it can harm workers.

MAINTENANCE TIPS & CHECKLIST

IMPROVE ROI AND EXTEND EQUIPMENT LIFE WITH ONGOING MAINTENANCE PROCESSES

Heavy Machinery is the most expensive construction equipment you own. It’s also the costliest to repair or replace. This guide will show you how to save money and extend the life cycle of your equipment with regular maintenance best practices

WHY YOU NEED TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT MACHINE MAINTENANCE

Being proactive in your heavy equipment maintenance schedule helps prevent expensive downtime. Regular maintenance helps predict when failure is likely to occur, allowing you to find a solution to problems before they happen.

COMMIT TO A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Preventive Maintenance (PM) helps anticipate change, and wear and tear. Corrective actions are taken continuously to ensure reliability and performance. PM involves regular systematic inspections, modification and replacement of components as well as performance testing and analysis.

A successful preventive maintenance program extends construction equipment life and minimizes unscheduled downtime caused by equipment breakdown. Benefits from a proper PM program include:

Improved equipment and system reliability

Reduction of unexpected breakdown

Decrease in expensive parts replacement

Extended equipment life

Improved resale value

Better parts inventory management

Preventive maintenance is more than regular maintenance like lubricating and changing and filters. A proper preventive maintenance (PM) program is all-inclusive. It’s an intentional approach to equipment management from the time equipment is purchased until the end of its useful life.

HOW TO BECOME AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEGREES & CAREERS

Becoming an electrical engineer requires training, commitment, and the willingness to wonder about questions such as how a flat screen television manages to be energy efficient or how to use so much electricity without blowing a fuse.

Electrical engineers answer the tough electrical questions and may work on anything from handheld gadgets to massive electrical grids. In getting there, electrical engineers must consider questions such as: What level of degree should I get to maximize my income? What concentration should I learn to obtain my dream career? Do I have to join an engineering firm or can I work on my own?

This comprehensive guide is designed as a resource for individuals interested in the electrical engineering career path. Included are the steps to become a qualified electrical engineer, degree paths, potential salaries and projected career growth for specific subfields.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CAREER BASICS

Electrical engineers use physics, electronics and electromagnetism to design devices that are powered by or produce electricity. Electrical engineers work on anything from small pocket devices to large aircraft electrical systems. Engineers test prototypes and evaluate and improve systems. Nearly every industry has a place for an electrical engineer, including government, transportation, communications, technology and utilities.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING IN-DEPTH

Electrical engineers are more than just system designers and developers. Engineers are involved in projects from conceptualization to maintenance. Engineers handle practicalities by conducting feasibility studies and cost analyses. Because of their multifaceted duties, electrical engineers sometimes specialize in project management, research and development or consultancy. Because of the wide range of industries using electrical engineers, many engineers specialize in sub-discipline of electrical engineering.

Electrical safety

Electricity can kill or severely injure people and cause damage to property. However, you can take simple precautions when working with or near electricity and electrical equipment to significantly reduce the risk of injury to you, your workers and others around you. This section provides a summary of those precautions.

What are the hazards?

The main hazards of working with electricity are:

electric shock and burns from contact with live parts

injury from exposure to arcing, fire from faulty electrical equipment or installations

explosion caused by unsuitable electrical apparatus or static electricity igniting flammable vapours or dusts, for example in a spray paint booth

What do I have to do?

You must ensure an assessment has been made of any electrical hazards, which covers:

who could be harmed by them

how the level of risk has been established

the precautions taken to control that risk

Maintenance

So far as is reasonably practicable , you must make sure that electrical equipment and installations are maintained to prevent danger.

Users of electrical equipment, including portable appliances, should carry out visual checks. Remove the equipment from use immediately and check it, repair it or replace it if:

the plug or connector is damaged

the cable has been repaired with tape, is not secure, or internal wires are visible etc

burn marks or stains are present (suggesting overheating)

How to Do Home Electrical Repairs

Your home’s plumbing and electrical systems may seem as different as any two things could be. But there are significant parallels. Water enters your home through a pipe under pressure, and, when you turn on a tap, the water flows at a certain rate (gallons per minute). Electricity enters your home through wires, also under pressure (called voltage, measured in volts). When you turn on an electrical device, the electricity flows at a certain rate (current, measured in amperes, or amps).

Unlike water, which is used as it comes from the tap, electricity is meant to do work: It is converted from energy to power, measured in watts. Since household electrical consumption is relatively high, the unit of measure most often used is the kilowatt, which is equal to 1,000 watts. The total amount of electrical energy you use in any period is measured in terms of kilowatt-hours (kwh).

The instrument that records how much electricity you use is called an electric meter. This meter tells the power company how much electricity they need to charge you for. There are two types of electric meters in general use. One type displays a row of small dials on its face with individual indicators. Each meter dial registers the kilowatt-hours of electrical energy. For example, if you leave a 100-watt bulb burning for 10 hours, the meter will register 1 kilowatt-hour (10×100 = 1,000 watt-hours, or 1 kwh). Each dial registers a certain number of kilowatt-hours of electrical energy. From right to left on most meter faces, the far right is the one that counts individual kilowatt-hours from 1 to 10; the next one counts the electricity from 10 to 100 kilowatt-hours; the third dial counts up to 1,000; the fourth counts up to 10,000; and the dial at the extreme left counts kilowatt-hours up to 100,000. If the arrow on a dial is between two numbers, the lower number should always be read.

The second type of electric meter performs the same function, but, instead of having individual dials, it has numerals in slots on the meter face, much like an odometer in a car. This meter is read from left to right, and the numbers indicate total electrical consumption. Some meters also use a multiplying factor — the number that appears must be multiplied by ten, for instance, for a true figure in kilowatt-hours. Once you know how to read your meter, you can verify the charges on your electric bill and become a better watchdog of electrical energy consumption in your home.

Three main lines (older houses may have two) are responsible for supplying 110-120/220-240 volts AC (alternating current) to your home. The exact voltage varies depending on several external factors. This three-wire system provides you with 110-120-volt power for lighting, receptacles, and small appliances as well as 220-240-volt power for air conditioning, an electric range, a clothes dryer, a water heater, and, in some homes, electric heating.

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Bookkeeping And Outsourcing Benefits

Easy-to-learn English Terms for Accounting

Are you an accountant or a bookkeeper, or planning to become one soon? Even if you’re not, when you’re in business, you want to be able to talk about every aspect of business—including useful things like accounting

No matter what, you can generally improve your business English by learning some key accounting terms. Sound great? Looks like we have just the thing for you!

Accounting, just like information technology, trade, sales and marketing, is one of those very specific business areas in which you need to have the right word at the right time. Accounting is about keeping track of money, so you simply can’t afford to make mistakes

How Can I Learn English Vocabulary for Accounting?

It’s important to be accurate because your company’s performance is reflected in the documents you work on. So we’ve selected the most frequently used accounting terms and turned them into an easy-to-process list.

All you need to do is read each word or phrase carefully, then have a look at the definition and examples. In general, when learning new vocabulary it’s a good idea to avoid translating the new words into your native language. With such a specific field like accounting, however, it may be easier for you if you try to think of each term in your native language, because you’re probably already using the term.

WHY YOUR BOOKKEEPING ISN’T TRANSFORMING YOUR BUSINESS AND CHANGING YOUR LIFE

Seriously. If done well, bookkeeping can be the catalyst for major change within your business. Since your business is one of your life’s big projects, these are major changes in your life too.

Historically, ‘doing the books’ was considered a necessary evil, merely a means to an end (and the end was an equally dreaded annual tax return).

Actually, good bookkeeping is your best tool for making smart decisions. And we’re not just saying that because we’re accountants and we love what we do. Without it, it’s hard to determine whether you’re truly making a profit, what you need to do to get more cash into the business, or whether you have enough money for the next big thing.

Bookkeeping in essence is the recording of your business’s financial data. It does involve data entry, and whilst it’s vital that data is up to date and entered regularly, good bookkeeping is less about entering the data itself, and more about what we do with it – how we apply what we know about your business finances, in order to make changes in your agency.

ookkeeping forms the building blocks of anything else you want to do financially. From recording bank transactions to unpaid invoices, it builds the financial picture of your business one piece at a time.

Business Bookkeeping: How to Get Your Finances in Order During COVID-19 Downtime

COVID-19 is impacting businesses big and small in various ways. Everyone is learning to react and adapt to survive. Facetime shopping services, “Buy Online, Pickup Curbside”, selling online, same-day delivery, virtual showrooms—you name it, businesses are probably trying it.

Regardless of your circumstances, there’s one thing that everybody is looking closely at right now: their finances. In fact according to Faire’s survey of 20,000 independent retailers, 70% report “not having enough cash on hand to handle this type of crisis”.

Whether you went fully remote or your retail business is temporarily closed, there’s no better time to get your finances in order. With just a few simple steps, you can polish up your books and hit the floor running when it’s back to “business as usual.”

How to Get Your Finances in Order During COVID-19

Working capital has never been more critical. Some are turning to emergency small business loans to stay afloat. Others are preparing their reopening strategies. And more are planning for the post-pandemic recession. Money, money, money. You either need it now, tomorrow or yesterday — and it’s probably more like yesterday, given the impact COVID-19 has had on retail traffic in the United States. In fact, daily transactions have dropped to ~65% below normal levels.

Clean Up Your Books

You’re busy—we get it. But there’s no better time to sit down and do your bookkeeping spring cleaning. Plus, now’s a much better time compared to the extended tax season when you’ll likely be focusing on returning to normal operations.

The Best Small Business Accounting Software

Keep Business Running With Small Business Accounting Software

According the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20 percent of small businesses fail before they complete their second year. Among the many potential culprits for this widespread demise is the lack of effective money management and bookkeeping. Small business accounting software can do a lot to prevent your business from falling into this trap, keeping you on the right side of that grim statistic.

Financial bookkeeping is complicated and time consuming. Business owners find it challenging enough to cover the basics—paying the bills and tracking incoming revenue—let alone answer critical questions such as: Are we profitable? Why or why not? Can we make required tax payments? Should we invest in new equipment? Do we need to explore financing? Will we hit our budget numbers? Where can we cut expenses?

A good small business accounting tool can answer these questions in seconds, based on the input you provide. Once you have populated a tool with information about your financial accounts, your customers and vendors, and the products or services you sell, you’ll be able to use that data to create transactions. These feed into reports, which can provide critical insights. Instant search tools and customizable reports help you track down the smallest details and see an overview of how your business is performing. Android apps and iOS apps for the tools give you access to your finances anywhere that you have wireless connectivity.

Intuit QuickBooks Online’s advanced implementation of technology, its skillful blend of features, its customizability, excellent mobile apps, and user experience (UX) have made it our Editors’ Choice again this year. We’re not crazy about the recent price increase but Intuit services are often heavily discounted.

Setting Up Bookkeeping

Depending on how long your business has been operating, getting started with a small business accounting tool can take anywhere from five minutes to several hours after signing up for an account. Small business accounting tools charge monthly subscription fees and usually offer free trial periods. The more you need the tool to do, the longer your setup tasks will take (and the higher the monthly payment).

Facts About Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses

Bookkeeping is essential for any business. Through bookkeeping, an owner can identify if a business is generating profits or losses.

What Are Bookkeeping Services?

Bookkeeping is the recording, storing, and retrieving of financial transactions for a company, nonprofit organization, individual person, etc.

Bookkeeping can include common financial transactions

paying suppliers

billing for services provided or goods sold to clients

documenting receipts from customers

recording invoices

processing employees’ payroll

financial reporting

monitoring accounts receivable

recording depreciation

and more

Both bookkeeping and accounting are necessary for any business, but they aren’t the same thing. Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, whereas accounting is the interpreting, classifying, analyzing, reporting, and summarizing of financial data.

Types Of Bookkeeping Systems

main types of bookkeeping systems are the single-entry system and the double-entry system. Single-entry bookkeeping is used for companies that have few or uncomplicated transactions. This system records business expenses and cash sales that are paid when incurred.

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Squirrel Hunting Tips

Types of Squirrel Species to Hunt

Fox squirrels and gray squirrels are the two species that absorb most of the hunting pressure. The fox squirrel is found throughout much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, though there are large swaths of territory in this range, most notably in the Northeast, they don’t inhabit. Grays range from the Atlantic Ocean to Texas and North Dakota, and along the West Coast and part of Arizona.

Grays are agile, streamlined squirrels weighing 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. Fox squirrels are chunky and squat, slower moving, and usually much larger, weighing up to 3 pounds. Both species may occupy the same areas, but fox squirrels are typically found in more open woods, usually near the forest edge. Grays prefer dense stands of trees in deeper woods.

The species also differ in activity periods. Grays are most active at first light; fox squirrels arise a bit later. Hunters should be in gray squirrel woods at dawn and hunt the first two hours for best results. The third Squirrel – grayhour is somewhat productive, but midday usually offers poor hunting. A little activity can be expected most of the afternoon, but there’s no worthwhile peak.

When hunting strictly for fox squirrels, you can stay in bed an hour later and find best results the second and third hour after sunrise. The first hour is OK, but again, afternoon activity is minimal. Top hunting in woods harboring both fox and gray squirrels is during the first three hours of daylight.

Squirrel Hunting Methods

One of the best things about squirrel hunting is it is relatively simple to do and it doesn’t require a lot of equipment to get started.  Knowing where to go and what to look for is half of the battle, and having a few simple items can help keep you comfortable and in the game this squirrel season.

The first thing that you need to know is that there are really two main ways to effectively hunt squirrels.

Passive Squirrel Hunting – You can passively hunt them, which typically involves going to an area that has plenty of food and plenty of nest trees and sitting in wait for the squirrels to show themselves. Passively hunting squirrels is very similar to sitting on stand in wait of that big buck.  It can be very relaxing and productive if you are in the right location.  Often, when passively hunting squirrels utilizing a squirrel call, like Knight and Hale’s 4 in 1 is very effective and can help draw the squirrels out into view or trigger a call back and give you an opportunity to make a move.  Passively hunting squirrels during the early summer months can be very effective, just be sure to have your Thermacell close by to keep the early season bugs off of you.

Active Squirrel Hunting – The second and probably more common way to hunt squirrels is to actively hunt them. This tactic involves getting out and actively searching for squirrels.  This is a great tactic to get youngsters out and involved in the hunt.  Noise is not really a factor when actively pursuing squirrels, though you don’t want to be downright loud, you don’t necessarily need to be quite, which makes this method a great way to involve kids in the sport.  Its low risk and high reward! Just be sure you and whoever you are hunting with have some solid hunting boots before entering the woods.

Squirrel Hunting Basics: Best Tactics and Guns

Many hunters start out by chasing squirrels, only to be lured away by larger and more glamorous game. However, as the leaves begin to change and the temperature drops, squirrels seem to appear in the limbs and crotches of every tree, reminding us how much we used to enjoy hunting them.

1. The Restless Hand

Squirrels have a natural inclination to remain still when predators approach. If you find yourself sitting in an area that should be productive–namely, beneath an oak tree–drop your hand into the litter and stir the leaves at random intervals, repeating in a broken pattern. The sound of your hand moving in the leaves imitates the sound of a squirrel that has started feeding, encouraging all the other squirrels in the area follow suit.

2. Up a Creek

You’ll often find abundant, unpressured squirrels along creeks and streams bordered by hardwoods, particularly oak, hickory, sycamores, and ash trees. If you minimize movement in your canoe or kayak and keep your eyes open, you can have fast shooting on squirrels that don’t expect danger to come from the water. If you are with a buddy, mandate that only one of you shoots at a time, and only from a sitting position.

3. Spot and Stalk

Squirrels are most active during daylight hours, and a morning or evening stalk through the woods can prove very productive. The first step is to scout areas where squirrels are likely to be found, which is anywhere the mast crops they eat—mainly acorns, beech, and hickory nuts—are present. With the sun at your back, practice walking very slowly, taking two or three steps at a time. Keep your eyes peeled and be ready to pick off the squirrels that didn’t hear your approach.

4. The Right Dog

Allen Franklin’s mountain cur squirrel dogs hunt by sight and scent, treeing squirrels and then sounding the location with a series of short “chop” barks until the hunter arrives. Squirrels instinctively flare to the side of the tree opposite a predator, and a circling dog encourages the squirrel to move around the trunk and branches, offering the hunter a shot. Additionally, dogs catch wounded squirrels that fall from the tree, preventing lost or wounded animals.

GETTING STARTED

Squirrel hunting is convenient, with a long season, abundant opportunities, and easy access to public lands from nearly any community in Missouri. If you’re a seasoned hunter, but haven’t hunted squirrels in years, grab a beginning hunter and become a mentor.

To find public lands open to squirrel hunting near you, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZNc or contact your local outdoor education specialist.

Missouri is home to three species of tree squirrels:

  • the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
  • the eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)
  • the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys Volans)

Of the three species, only the gray and fox squirrels are legal to hunt.

Squirrel behavior and activity change throughout the year as they respond to weather patterns and food availability. For example, a mulberry tree full of fruit could be a hotspot in June, but by October, squirrels feed on nuts and acorns. Popular squirrel foods include:

Spring: tree buds, mushrooms, seeds of elms, maples, and oaks

Summer and fall: mulberries, hickory nuts, pecans, acorns, corn, walnuts, wild grapes, and hedgeapples

Winter: nuts, acorns, bark, corn, and buds

How to Hunt Squirrel with These Tips

I learned squirrel hunting early and as a boy, it was the first animal I ever hunted. Naturally, a small-caliber rifle like the .22 was ideal for my size.

It made little noise and had very little recoil. My father and grandfather also wanted to teach me the basics of hunting.

There was no better way than to hunt squirrels. One of the best aspects of squirrel hunting is the needed skill.

Your aim has to be accurate to hit a squirrel’s head from 20 to 30 yards. The accuracy becomes even more important when you use open sights.

Squirrel hunting also taught me stealth and how to clean an animal after the kill. Overall, it was an excellent foundation for the other animals I would hunt over the years.

Breaking: American Gun Association Elects New Chairman Tim Larkin.

Squirrel hunting is not just for boys or those learning to hunt. I still do it several times each year. Unlike hunting other animals, you need to know some scouting.

There are several public hunting areas near my home fine for firing squirrels. The squirrel hunting season is long, and we are always looking for ways to put more meat in the freezer.

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Claim Compensation With the Help Of A Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog Bite Statistics in the US

The Center for Disease Control reports that roughly 4.5 million dog bites occur in the United States on an annual basis. Of those bites, 900,000 get infected and require significant amounts of treatment. Considering the population of the US, that means 1 in 72 people are bitten by a dog each year. The CDC reports that more than half of those bitten are children, and they also state that men are more likely than women to suffer dog bites.

The need for a dog bite lawyer comes when it is determined that the dog owner was negligent and allowed the situation to happen. It is also a good idea to get into contact with a dog bite lawyer when the bite is going to have a strong impact on the future of the person bitten. In other words, if work is not going to be possible or disfigurement has occurred, that is a good time to consult a dog bite lawyer on how to move forward.

What to Do After a Dog Attack

  1. Get the appropriate medical care. Animal bites can cause extensive damage to skin, nerves and other parts of the body. Severe attacks may require multiple surgeries and procedures.
  2. Photograph the injuries. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Take photographs early and often, not only to document your injuries and treatment, but also to prove the severity of your injuries, if it is necessary.
  3. Contact the government agency responsible for human and pet safety. The County of San Diego’s Department of Animal Services has the capability to take the appropriate actions to prevent further injury. You can visit the website here.
  4. Report your injuries promptly to insurance carriers. Homeowners, and some renters, insurance carriers will cover medical bills and other costs related to dog attacks.
  5. Talk with an attorney before agreeing to or signing anything. It is crucial to discuss your rights with an attorney who handles dog bites in and around San Diego before speaking with the insurance company. The carrier for the dog owner is not required to treat you fairly. It may pressure you into making important decisions before you get legal advice.

Some insurance companies routinely ask injured people to give them unlimited access to private medical and employment records. Until you get advice from a lawyer, do NOT:

  • Release your private records
  • Sign anything
  • Give a statement
  • Make any decisions about whether you will or will not bring a claim

Dealing with the insurance companies after an attack can be difficult. However, our attorney has the experience needed to navigate the insurance industry on your behalf.

Dog Bites Cause Serious Injuries

While there is a large debate over whether or not certain breeds of dogs are inherently more prone to attack, it is recognized that a risk of a dangerous dog attack can be significantly enhanced based on human actions, regardless of the dog’s breed. To illustrate, animal abuse, fight training, carelessness in confinement or control, or neglect can all condition a dog to attack.

Below are dog bite statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

  • About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year.
  • About 885,000 dog bite victims require medical attention and half of these are children.
  • In 2012, over 27,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery after being bitten by dogs.

Obtaining Complete Compensation:

  • Although it surprises some, most homeowner’s insurance policies provide coverage for the animal owner in the event of an animal attack. Still, identifying the owner, presenting the claim, negotiating with the insurance company, and preserving the evidence necessary to pursue your rights are difficult to manage when you are focused on your own medical recovery or that of a loved one. Our attorneys apply their tremendous experience in handling personal injury cases to relieve you of these burdens so you can embrace the healing process while knowing that your rights are being protected.
  • Often dog attacks and bites result in injury and facial scarring. In helping you obtain fair compensation for your injuries, we examine every possible aspect of your injury. Let us help you obtain compensation for medical costs, cosmetic surgical procedures, loss of work and psychological rehabilitation.

What You Need to Prove for Your Dog Bite Claim to Be Successful

For your dog bite claim to be successful, it must be shown that:

  • The defendant owned the dog;
  • The bite occurred when the victim was lawfully on private property or was on public property; and
  • The victim was actually bitten by the dog, resulting in an injury.

Who Might Be Liable for Damages After a Dog Bite in California?

The defendant in most dog bite cases is the owner of the dog, but there are certain exceptions. Depending on the facts surrounding your case, the following parties may be held liable for damages:

  • The Landlord: The landlord might be held liable for a dog bite if he or she knew that the tenant’s dog was dangerous, and the landlord had the right to remove the dog from the premises
  • The Dog’s Caretaker: If the dog was under the control of another person or business when the bite occurred, that party might be held liable for your damages. However, the caretaker can only be liable if he or she had “prior knowledge” that the dog was dangerous. The caretaker might also be liable if the dog was negligently controlled or handled.
  • The landlord of a Commercial Property: Landlords of commercial properties in California have a duty to inspect their premises for dangerous conditions, including dangerous animals. If a tenant of a commercial property allows a dog on the premises and it bites a customer, the landlord might be held liable—even if he or she did not know that the dog was on the property.
  • Property Owners: The owner of a residential property can be held liable if a dangerous dog escapes due to a hole in the fence or another defect and an attack happens off-site.
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Home Exterior Painting

The best exterior paint

Picking the best paint colors for your property’s exterior is a process that involves more than finding the right colors because not all exterior paints are equally suited to different surfaces. Before we get to our recommendations, here are some things to keep in mind.

Latex-based exterior paints are generally the best choice for outdoor painting projects like a home’s walls and trim. Latex paints dry quickly, imperfections caught during the process are easy to clean, and latex paint expands and contracts well with seasonal temperature changes. However, it will bubble and peel if applied over existing oil-based paint.

As for the finish, it’s mainly a matter of aesthetic choice, but there are a few things to note. Gloss paints are the most resistant to damage and the easiest to clean, but a gloss finish shows imperfections and looks out of place when used on a larger scale. Gloss or semi-gloss paints are ideal for window trim and doorframes, while semi-gloss is a good choice for exterior doors, provided the door to be painted is in good condition. This is also a good choice for brick, as it helps seal the porous material.

Eggshell finish exterior paint, also often called satin finish, is well suited to vinyl, wood planks, or fiber cement siding that’s newer and/or in good repair.

Flat paint finishes are generally less popular for exteriors these days, with one exception: Older homes, or those with a fair amount of wear-and-tear and imperfections on the exterior regardless of age, can benefit from the flaw-masking ability of flat paint finishes. Flat paint probably won’t last as long as glossier options, but it can make the place look better in the shorter term, and it’s easy to touch up

Ideas for Your Exterior House Colors

Painting your home is a big investment and there are a lot of exterior house colors to choose from. Because of this, it can be hard to choose what color to paint your home. But we’re here to help. We’ve compiled this list to not only get you excited about painting your home’s exterior, but to also help guide your thinking process.

Exterior house colors that will make you want to paint

Here’s a list of the trendiest house paint colors that will inspire you to move ahead with your painting project. You’ll notice we also included a Pinterest link so you can get an idea of what these best exterior house paint colors look like in real life.

There’s a lot of debate over the perfect white for your home’s exterior, but you can’t go wrong with a classic, crisp shade, especially with a pop of color on your front door

A shade of ivory for your exterior paint gives you the sleekness of white without its harshness.

Taupe paint comes in a range of tints, like green or grey, making it easy to totally customize your home’s exterior.

Painting and product advice

When to paint

The temperature of your house affects the performance of paint. The wall temperature can vary from the weather temperature and must be above 10°C and below 35°C throughout the painting process. You should generally avoid painting in extremely hot or cold conditions. If it looks like rain, remember the painter’s rule; if you wouldn’t hang the washing out or wash the car, don’t paint outside.

Using acrylics in hot weather

Most acrylics are touch dry in twenty minutes at 25°C and 50% humidity, this means the hottest weather in the summer months will accelerate the drying process. To slow down the drying rate, Hot Weather Thinner may be added to the paint at the rate of 50ml per litre

Here are some tips for painting in summer:

Don’t paint in direct sunlight or onto a hot surface.

Try to follow the shade where possible.

You can add up to approx 5% water to your paint to change consistency.

Use 2 brushes. Keeping one in a bucket of water and alternating them, stops them drying out.

Choosing enamels or acrylics for exterior use

We would generally recommend the use of acrylics in exterior situations. As oil based enamels age they become very brittle and chalky and therefore have a tendency to crack and flake off the surface. Acrylics, however, retain their colour better, do not chalk to any great extent and do not become brittle, giving a longer lasting, more durable paint finish.

Preparing the room

If you haven’t already done so, take down curtains, mirrors and pictures. Move lightweight furniture out of the room. Cover remaining furniture with plastic sheets or drop cloths and tape plastic around pendant light fittings. Or if painting outside, tie back plants so you have clear access to the areas to be painted.

Most Important Things to Consider When Buying Exterior Paint

Whether you just bought a home or want to change the looks of your existing residence in Horsham, PA, painting the exterior of your home comes with a wide range of benefits. It increases the curb appeal and the value of your home prevents water and mildew damage and gives your exterior a fresh new look. In short, exterior painting is the most inexpensive and transformative renovation you can do your home.

But before those transformations happen, you have a few choices to make –and the most important decisions include picking the paint and paint color. While the color you want to use on your exterior primarily depends on your preferences, there’re a lot of considerations you should keep in mind when choosing the actual product –the paint. Here are 5 things you should consider when buying exterior paint.

Durability

Unlike the interiors, your home’s exterior is exposed to the most damaging factors such as rain, harsh UV rays, frost, sleet, strong winds, and insects. The durability of your exterior paint, therefore, will determine how well your paint job stands against these elements. If you’re going to spend a large amount of money painting your exterior, you want to make sure that it lasts longer.

Endurance

This goes hand in hand with durability. Good quality paint should be able to endure a wide range of abuses. For instance, harsh stains such as red lipstick should be easy to clean using water and soap. Good quality paint also has high rub resistance –which means it can better withstand scratching, wiping, and friction in high-traffic areas.

Better coverage

High-quality paint offers better coverage (hide) of the previous wall color with minimal coats. Many top-of-the-line house paints even have priming qualities, which means a single coat can go a long way in hiding the previous hues. Exterior paints with great coverage are also best at disguising underlying flaws, such as small nicks or dents in the siding. With a well-prepped surface and good primer, high-quality paint should not require more than two coats to have the job done.

Things You Must Know When Painting Your Home’s Exterior

House painting should be done professionally because it not only preserves your house, but beautifies it.  Exterior home painting gives your house its final appearance while also adding value.  It is very important for a home owner to carry out thorough research on how to paint your home’s exterior.  You need to be sure about the exterior home painting cost, your budget, and the exterior paint color scheme you are using.  The outer walls should be painted with great care just like the interior walls.

The following are the major things that you must know when painting your exterior to ensure that you get good results from the painting company you choose.

Only Qualified Painters Can Give Good Results

Just because your friend or family member is a painter doesn’t mean that he or she will give you a great service. You need to ensure that your home’s exterior is painted by reputable painters from a reputable painting company. It is wise to go for a painting company that you are sure their painters have adequate skills and experience on exterior house painting.  If you are not sure you should call at least three painting companies that you feel can give good services and consult them.  It is important that price is not the only consideration when planning for exterior home painting.

Always Use Quality Paints

Use only quality paints from reputable paint manufacturers to ensure that you have exterior paint color schemes that matches with your home and the surrounding environment.  Avoid cheap paints that will fade shortly after painting leaving your house looking worse than even before it was painted.

Ensure That The Walls Are Well Cleaned Before Painting

How clean your house exterior walls are determines the outcome of painting project. It is therefore important to ensure that the walls of your house are well cleaned before they are painted.  Always ask whether the painting company that you are about to hire offers power washing before painting.