Due Diligence in Real Estate Transactions: Know Your Energy Efficiency

For real estate transactions, knowing the energy efficiency of the building is an important step in due diligence. Use of the new ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Standard E-2797-11, Standard Practice for Building Energy Performance Assessment for a Building Involved in a Real Estate Transaction, is required in several states and cities and under consideration in others. Federal legislation is also being discussed.

Why would someone want to know this?

More energy-efficient buildings cost less to operate, have higher net operating income (NOI), better asset value, and are more attractive to tenants. More reasons:

• Property owners and lessors can leverage higher performing buildings to attract and retain tenants, who know that these buildings will have lower utility and operating costs.
• Potential buyers can make a better choice between similar properties.
• It provides a proven baseline from which to develop improvement programs.
• In many cases, the Pro Forma given to lenders has a line item for utilities under building operating costs.
• The Standard is obtaining more and more acceptance, and may be combined with regulations requiring Level 1 Site Assessments for environmental issues and Property Condition Assessments. Each of these have their own Standards for performing the related audit.

The Standard accomplishes several important actions:

• Establishes a practice for collection, assembly, evaluation, and reporting required information.
• Ensures consistency in reporting
• Supplements a Level 1 Site Assessment for environmental issues and / or a Property Condition Assessment as part of the Due Diligence process.
• Ensures that the process itself is consistent, transparent, and reliable and serves as an industry-wide Standard.

What happens next?

While knowing how well a building fulfills in terms of energy efficiency is important for real estate transactions, it is also the first step in planning energy efficiency improvements that cut operating costs and provide additional benefits. This process is more involved than one might expect; there is a remarkable amount of information that has to be considered and it requires specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities that only an expert can provide.

The process of improving Due Diligence and relativity of energy audits is ingoing; during May, I served as a one of a panel of 14 commercial building energy auditor subject matter experts at a workshop funded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The purpose of the workshop was to identify and catalog all the activities - Job Task Analyzes (JTAs) and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - needed to successfully complete a building energy audit using the most reliable guidelines, standards, and analysis tools , such as those provided by ENERGY STAR, ASTM, ANSI, ASHRAE, and the Department of Energy. The results of the study will be a set of national guidelines for use by organizations in developing and improving training curriculum and for use by the General Services Administration and the Department of Energy. My hope is that as the DOE and GSA require contractors meet these criteria, it will lead to an industry-wide practice, additional recognition of the profession, and improved energy and cost savings for building owners and operators.

Prediction of Sudden Gains and Unexpected Prosperity in Astrology

In today's world, most of the people wish to earn a lot of wealth and prosperity in their life, for fulfillment of their desires. Sometimes they choose risky steps to gain sudden benefits and prosperity.

Lottery, shares, gambling, speculation are risky methods employed for sudden gains.While hidden treasures and unexpected inheritances also accounts for sudden prosperity and richness of the native.

Factors responsible for sudden and expected gains in astrology

· 2nd house: income, inflow of finances, Self earned wealth, worldly holdings

· 4th house: comforts, parental inheritance, assets, land, vehicles

· 5th house: sudden gain, lottery, gambling, speculations etc.

· 7th house: business travels

· 8th house: shares, hidden transactions, other people's money, dowry of wife, gain from in laws, finances through unfair means, inheritance

· 9th house: easy gains, fate

· 11th house: accumulated wealth, fluctuating money gains

· Sun: sudden gains from royal or govt. sources.

· Moon: gains from liquid or glazy types of things, gains from abroad.

· Mars: Sudden prosperity from engineering, publications, police, landed properties agriculture, accounts, investment in medicines

· Mercury: sudden gains from intellects or creative nature of mankind

· Jupiter: gains from saints or bank men, rules banking shares, money, gold and other precious saleable items like diamonds and precious gems

· Venus: sudden gains from music, cinema, vehicles medicines, literary activities, photographed items

· Saturn: Sudden money

· Rahu: trigger the unexpected events in the life, sudden gains from evil sources, fluctuating gains

Different combinations for sudden prosperity

· Sudden and unexpected gains are not noticed whenever 2nd, 7th and 11th lords posited in ascendant and aspected by Jupiter.

· For gains in lotteries, speculations or for any sudden unexpected gains 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th homes and their lords should be interrelated. Well-placed and well-aspected

· For financial status and gains, ascendant, 2nd, 9th and 11th houses and their lords should have considered.

· Strength of 5th house and 5th lord connected with the above is required for gains in gambling, speculation, races, lotteries, contracts, etc.

· Strength of 8th house and 8th lord connected with the above is required for gain in dowry, inheritance, wills, adoption, awards, prizes, secret wealth etc.

· Consideration of 4th, 7th and 10th houses is needed to judge the source and type of gains.

· Inauspicious homes and planets placed in them are consider for gains and accumulation in life (3/6/10 / 11th are inauspicious homes).

Different modes responsible for sudden gain in life:

Lottery and Gambling

· Strength of 5th house / lord is the important significator of gains in lotteries and gambling.

· The other significator houses for lottery gains and gambling are 2nd, 6th, 8th and 11th.

· Moon is posited in 5th house and expected by Venus, indicating sudden gain from lottery.

· The 6th house / lord has an important role in gambling. If the 6th and 11th lords are together occupying 11th house, the native wins in lottery and gambling. The combination of the strong 6th and 11th lords is always good for gambling and lottery.

· The 6th and 9th lords combine in 11th house, the native owners intense money through lottery or gambling.

· Favorite combination of Saturn and Rahu favors gambling especially in indoor games.

· The lords of 6th and 11th and Saturn are in the 11th house, the native wins in dice game or cards through underhand tricks and by puzzling or mesmerizing his opponents.

· Mercury being 5th lord occupying 6th house causes loss in speculations. If the 5th lord Venus is in the 12th house with 6th lord the native will lose in gambling being addicted to the same. If there are many malefic planets placed in 12th house the native should not invest money in gambling or lottery as he will always lose.

· The Lords of 5th and 2nd house exchange places.

· Mercury in 11th house in own sign conjoined with 6th lord.

· Mars, Venus, Saturn and Rahu conjoined in Virgo.

· All planets occupying 2th / 6th / 8th / 12th signs.

· The lord of 5th and 11th conjoined in 5th house with a node [Rahu / Ketu].

· 2nd and 11th lords conjoining in 5th with benefice aspects

· Jupiter alone in 5th or 8th in exaltation or own house is able to give sudden, unexpected gains.

· The Ascendant / 5th / 8th / 11th lords placed in the same houses.

· The 5th and 8th lords exchange signs, and the lord of ascendant is in good aspect with either of the two.

· 2nd lord in the 5th, 5th lord in 11th, 11th lord in 2nd house (or 2nd / 5th / 11th lords conjoined in 2nd).

· The lords of 5th and 11th houses exchange houses.

· The lords of ascendant, 2nd and 5th are related or conjoined.

· The lords of ascendant, 5th and 9th conjoined.

· The Ascendant is strong and 2/5/8 / 11th lords in exaltation.

· The benefices planets occupation 5th and 8th houses.

Underground or hidden treasures beneath or buried in the soil

· Lord of ascendant is placed in 2nd house, Lord of 2nd is placed in 11th house and lord of 11th is posed in ascendant, the native will get sudden mysterious hidden treasures in his life.

· Lords of 2nd and 4th are placed in 9th house, with a benefice.

· Lords of 11th and 2nd placed in 4th house, with a benefice.

· Lord of 11th is placed in 4th house, combines with a benefice.

Shares and speculations

· The Moon, Mercury and 6th lord in 11th house indicates money through share market.

· Lords of 6th and 11th combine in 12th house indicates loss in speculation.

· Ascendant's lord, Moon, Sun and are being in beneficial aspects

· The Moon-Mars combine in 2nd, 5th, 8th or 11th house.

· The Jupiter in 2nd, the Mercury in 5th and the Moon in 11th house respectively.

Unexpected inheritance

· The Moon, 4th / 2nd / 5th houses / lords are related, indicates sudden inheritance from mother.

· Lords of 2nd and 4th combine in ascendant indicators sudden gain from mother.

· The lords of 2nd and 8th lords are related, gives unexpected gains.

· Leo ascendant with 12th lord in 8th house gives the formation of Vipareeta Raja yoga which results in unexpected massive wealth gain.

BY

GEETA JHA [SPIRITUAL HEALER]

INDIA

What Is Wardriving And How Can You Prevent It

Imagine a car equipped with nothing more than a laptop computer, a portable GPS receiver, and a wireless network card slowly strolls through your neighborhood. Unknown to any onlookers, this is no ordinary vehicle; rather, it is a wardriving machine. As the car strolls past homes and businesses, a wireless network card (available at any electronics store for as low as $25) scans for any wireless access points. Anyone with a wireless network (and there are many out there) is vulnerable. The computer is looking for what is called an SSID. An SSID is your wireless network name and it is being constantly transmitted by your access point, letting computers know of its presence. The wardriver uses software such as Netstumbler (for windows) or Cismet (for linux) to scan the airwaves for SSIDs. The program can track various access points at once and monitor the signal strength. These programs can also check to see if the network is encrypted. The wardriver will generally configure his or her software to log any strong unencrypted signals. Using the GPS receiver, the coordinates of the strong signal will be recorded. After this preliminary drive, the wardriver can return to the locations that were recorded, and connect to the access point. Once connected to an unencrypted network, the wardriver can use the victim's internet access, and can also explore computers on the network. If files are being shared within someone's private network, all of that information is susceptible to a wardriver. Furthermore, once in the network, a wardriver can sniff network traffic and can view any information such as passwords and credit card numbers you send out to the internet - even SSL secured data. Wireless network vulnerability is a major problem, and as more and more households purchase wireless technology, the problem of insecure networks increases. Sound scary? Well this happens every day, and it doesn't take an expert to pull off. It doesn't take an expert to protect against either, however.

Steps you can take to protect against wardrivers:

There are a number of very simple steps you can take to protect your wireless network. For many of these, you will have to access your router configuration utility (check your manual on how to do this, you will generally need to type an IP address into your browser such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).

Don't broadcast your SSID. If you are broadcasting your SSID, this is the first thing a program will pickup and recognize. If you configure your router to not broadcast your SSID, it will be difficult to detect (but not impossible, for some software can sniff wireless communication, so if you are using your wireless network, the SSID can be revealed). If you are not broadcasting your SSID, but it can be guessed (such as if you are using a default SSID), cloaking is pointless. Due to this, remember to change your SSID from the factory default. This is not a 100 percent effective method to secure your network, but it is a good first line of defense.

Change the default password. When you buy a router, a factory password is stored. People experienced in working with routers know the default passwords for different routers (and the make of the router can be seen by wardriver software such as netstumbler). It is important that you secure your router with a good password.

Encrypt your wireless communication. I can't stress the importance of encrypting your wireless communication enough. Enable encryption and enter a key. Most routers are only capable of WEP encryption, but if they permit, use EAP encryption, it's more secure than WEP. Like cloaking your SSID, encryption is not 100 percent secure. Given enough time and determination, if someone wants to target you and access your network, WEP encryption can be bypassed using software such as AirSnort.

Filter the MAC addresses that are allowed to connect to your router. This would require that you enter your router configuration and input the MAC address of each wireless card you have. This will restrict access so that only your computers can connect to the router. You will need to obtain the MAC address (which is the individual identification address of a network card in the form a 12 digit hexadecimal number). If someone sniffs traffic and detects the MAC address of a computer wirelessly using your network, the wardriver could emulate that address and connect to the router, but this takes time.

If you configure file sharing on your computers, make sure it is password protected. You should not share files on your networked computers unless it requires an authenticated user to access. Set up the same user accounts on your machines so that your computers can share files.

With these relatively simple steps, wireless network users can secure their networks from wardrivers. Wireless networks are inherently insecure, and these tips will merely help you greater secure your network. If someone is really determined to gain access to your network, given enough time, a good hacker can get access. These tips will deter the average wardriver from gaining access to your network, however. Although these methods are not definite security measures, they will change your network from being something that can be hacked in a matter of seconds, to something that will take a determined hacker days if not weeks of work, all of which will have to be done while in close proximity to your network.

New Roof Installation and the Benefits Provided

Any roofing structure is going to take plenty of abuse during its lifespan. Rain, snow, hail, sweltering temperatures, and fallen branches all play their parts in damage or breaking down a building's roof. Hiring roofing companies to provide preventative maintenance is a great way for a building owner to ensure that the roof holds up for its intended project lifeespan. However at some point, it actually makes more sense for a building owner to install a new roof. This article will highlight a few of the reasons that installing a new roof will be more beneficial to an individual than continuing to maintain the existing roof.

Eliminate leaks and repairs

Leaks are a major issue for building owners, because when they make their way into the building, they can create slip-and-fall potentials for building occupants. For store or office managers, a slip-and-fall incident can mean thousands of dollars in litigation. Even when the leak is unseen from inside the building, it can cause the growth of mold that threatens the health of individuals with allergies. Other external repairs like replacing shingles or decay caused by water buildup will also be necessary over time. When required repairs continue to increase and leaks become more common, these issues and the problems that cause will lead to higher costs for building owners. Rather than continuing to hire roofing companies to come in and patch up a problem, it will actually be more cost effective to put in a new roof. A roof built by competent builders will hold up for many years before major repairs are needed.

Acquire a new warranty

An older roof may have exceeded the life of the warranty it came with, assuming that it even came with a warranty. When reputable roofing companies provide a replacement roof, they will stand behind the quality of their work. Most will include a warranty at no additional charge, and those who do not will still offer a warranty that is less costly than any major repair. Some warranties will even cover regularly scheduled semi-annual inspections, so that problems are spotted and corrected before they have a chance to cause major damage. Thanks to the added level of protection provided by a warranty, a new roof will be more dependable and less expensive to maintain for the first few years after it is installed.

Increase property value

Building owners who are trying to sell a home or other structure will invest thousands of dollars to make the building more appealing to buyers. Yet many owners neglect to install a new roof. When making renovations, there are percentages that can be used to calculate which renovations will deliver the most return on investment (ROI.) A new roof is one of the best renovations when it comes to increasing property value and getting back a high percentage of what is spent on the renovation.

Building owners who are looking to eliminate leaks and repairs acquire a new warrantee, and increase property value should hire one of the trusted roofing companies to install a new roof.

Movie Poster Collecting

There is a great deal of history behind movie posters and movie poster collecting. Jules Cheret, who created 2 movie posters in the 1890's, was the artist given credit for creating the first movie posters. By the end of the first decade of the 1900's, movies had become a great source of public entertainment. In this time period, the movie poster would become a standard size known as the one sheet measuring 27" x 41".

In the early days, the names of actors did not appear on the posters, which the movie studios liked, because it meant paying actors less money. It was in this early period in movie history, however, that movie studios realized movie stars were as much of an attraction to the moviegoer as the movie itself. Thus, the movie star was born, and movie posters began showcasing actors' names along with the title of the movie.

By the 1920's, the golden age of silent movies, movie posters became more artistic and spectacular, with accomplished artists being hired by movie studios to paint portraits of the stars for posters. By the late 1920's, movie poster images became sharper due to a new printing process developed by the Morgan Litho Company.

In the 1930's, also known in the movie industry as "The Golden Age of Movies", another style of movie poster was created, the half sheet. Major movies would sometimes get more than the two styles. However, due to the depression, many movie materials were being created more cheaply, causing a loss of quality in movie posters.

The dawn of World War II in 1941 saw many of the movie stars heading off to war and war was the major theme of movies at that time. The movie industry cut advertising costs and used cheaper paper for posters due to the paper shortage of wartime.

By the 1970's, movie posters used photography, occasionally using drawing and painting styles. Movie posters at this time were being printed on a clay-coated paper, which gave them a glossy finish. Star Wars and Star Trek posters were the most popular posters of the time and are still collected by many today.

In the 1980's, the age of the special effects blockbuster, the mini sheet was invented, and video stores became popular, thus the video store poster was created. Today, reprints of movie posters are mass-produced and sold in many stores or are just a click away on the Internet.There are several types of movie posters. Because of their rarity, the avid movie poster collector has concentrated on movie poster or theater art. These are the posters that are delivered and displayed by the movie theaters and then intended to be thrown away. Another type of movie poster is the commercial poster, which is mass-produced for direct sale to the public. Video posters are distributed to video rental stores for advertising material. Cable and TV posters are use as promotional material for TV stations for their programming. Like theater art, video posters and cable and TV posters are not produced for the public. Although not as valuable as theater art, these types of posters are still popular among collectors. Special promotion posters promote a movie along with a product. Finally, there are anniversary issues, limited editions, and special releases that are released in limited quantities and are gaining favor with the theatre art collector. Other types of movie posters include advance posters that promote a movie well ahead of the movie's release. The award poster, which indicates that a movie has won an Academy award. The combo poster, advertising two movies instead of just one. The popular double-sided poster that has art on both sides, with the artwork reversed on one side of the poster. There are featurette posters highlighting short films or cartoons, review posters for when a movie gets a good review, serial posters for movie serials, and special distribution posters.

With the popularity of movie posters has come the necessity to create various sizes of posters. The first and most widely used poster is the one sheet, which is usually 27" x 41". The subway, also known as the two sheet, is larger but not exactly two times the size of the one sheet. The 3 sheet is three times the size of the one sheet measuring at 41" x 81". The 6 sheet is six times the size of the one sheet measuring of 81" x 81". There is also a 12 sheet approximately twelve times the size of a one sheet, and the colossal sized 24 sheet measuring 246" x by 108". Other sizes include the mini sheet, which is usually much smaller than the one sheet and comes in a variety of sizes, and the stock sheet issued for cartoons or other shorts.

As with all collectibles, condition is a great factor when placing a value on posters. A movie poster's value is determined by demand, rarity, and condition. Poster collectors use the same grade system used by comic book collectors: mint (perfect), near mint, very good, good, fair, and poor.

For those who want to be serious movie poster collectors, you will need to know some things about taking care of your movie poster art.

Tips to retain the total collectable value of movie posters





Never alter the appearance of a poster. Do not fold, bend, tear, or punch holes in it even to hang it on your wall.

Never place a movie poster in direct sunlight. UV lights can also be harmful.

Don't write on your poster, even on the back. Marks on the back can sometimes be seen from the other side, taking away from the poster's value.

Never put tape on the front of a poster even to repair tears. If you do use tape, use acid free tape available from an art supply shop, and place the tape on the back. For expensive movie art take it to a professional to be restored. Posters can be restored the same way rare comic books are professionally restored.

When shipping posters use thick poster tubes or bubble envelopes.





For long time storage, frame, or place the poster in a plastic bag or tube, and keep it in a cool dry climate.

When framing a poster do not dry mount it, and use an acid free backing board.

Now that you know a little more about movie posters and movie poster collecting, go ahead, start collecting!

Business Process Consulting - Consulting to the Small Business Owner

Why are small businesses such a powerhouse in the economy?

One of the ingredients is that successful small businesses are run by people with passion. Small business owners believe in what they are doing, and they love doing it. They are brimming with ideas.

At heart, most small business people feel that they were born to make a difference in the world - to make the world a better place. The small business owner is obsessed with succeeding in making that difference and reaping the rewards that they deserve for both themselves and for the people around them.

They do what it takes to make something happen - the long hours, the heartache, the joy, the desperation, the failure, the success and the elation. These people experience the full range of human emotion in the pursuit of their dream. They are the true believers.

How then can the small business consultant contribute to the small business owner's success?

The answer is that the small business consultant must know how to help the small business owner learn to think strategically and thereby gain clarity, focus and direction. Such results are possible only when the consultant keeps three critical factors in mind:

- While passion is often a key ingredient, a small business can not run on passion alone

- The small business person must make good strategic decisions

- A successful small business person works hard

A Small Business Can not Run on Passion Alone

Passion is critical in small business, but it must be channeled and directed. Single-minded focus is gained only by going through a deep thinking, soul-searching process that delivers a clear sense of Mission, Vision and Values.

This process must occur at the personal level and then be reflected in the business itself, through words that spell out the Mission, Vision and Values ​​in easily understood language.

These words become the primary essence of the business. For the small business person, these statements spell out their beliefs and assumptions about their business and inform everything that they think, say and do.

Every morning, when the successful small business person gets out of bed, it is with a real sense of purpose, namely, to fulfill his or her Mission.

Their mission, vision and values ​​are well understood within their business, and they are the critical clauses of the employment contract that everyone in the business signs up for.

Mission, Vision and Values ​​inform and shape all business policy development and the processes and measures that are put in place to ensure disciplined execution.

Making Good Strategic Decisions

Once the value base of the business is defined, it must be aligned with good strategic decisions.

Strategy Formulation is critical for success in small business. It is the thinking that this exercise generates that delivers high performing action, sustainable outputs and lasting results.

The effective small business consultant takes the small business owner through a process of thinking that ensures that the nature and the direction of the business are fully understood. The critical issues for action are identified and priorities are set.

Agreed actions must then be written down, so that they cascade from the strategic level to all the operational streams of the business. Everyone in the business must know what part they play in achieving the strategic goals.

Remember, small business people are energized by the demands put on them in the moment. This is because they are people of action. However, this can be a problem when they are under too much pressure. They can become overwhelmed by the clamor of present claims, and they often fail to have a planned approach.

Working to a well constructed small business plan, based in good strategic thought and decision making, relieves the pain of the frenetic pace and worries of the day to day.

By paying attention to the important things that further their strategic goals, the successful small business person gains the right perspective on immediate and urgent sounding distractions. Business development and risk management are all addressed, when the small business owner works to a plan.

One of the important things that the small business person must have clear in their minds is everything to do with their customers. They must know who they are. They must know what they need. They must know where they are and how they are going to be reached. They must know their own capabilities in being able to deliver what their customers want.

They must know the gaps in their own business that must be addressed to achieve high yielding results.

When all their capabilities are analyzed at depth, the small business owner has the information he or she needs to make the decisions that will secure the future of the business. The small business consultant must ensure this is the case.

A Successful Small Business Person Works Hard

When the small business owner is clear about his or her Mission and Vision, and is behaving in keeping with a well defined set of values, hard work is not an issue. Working to a well understood plan generates sufficient enthusiasm that even small gains become immensely gratifying.

Quality of thinking, combined with good decisions and focused action, evoke the work ethical that creates momentum and deliveries outstanding results. Small business owners are energized and become even more motivated when they are in touch with their own value base.

They feel in control when they have a good plan in place that they can work to. This is because they are paying attention to the right things, in the right way, and they can see that they are making progress.

Passion, aligned with good decision making at the strategic level, puts them in control of their business and makes them feel alive. It puts them on the path of never-ending improvement, both personally and in their business.

How to Do a Custom Pioneer Car Audio Install

Pioneer car audio install can be done by you. You do not need a professional to come and take your money while it is so easy to plan how to achieve a successful Pioneer audio install. I have used the word plan because installing any car audio requires exactly that. You need to spare some time and employing lots of concentration will go a long way to help you achieve your goal. Firstly, you need to consider what Pioneer audio you are installing. They may be stereos, speakers, amplifiers, subwoofers, or even subwoofer boxes. Some of the most tricky to install speakers and amplifiers. Your chosen Pioneer car audio systems should reflect what you want to gain from the systems. They need to be of the right fit and of very high quality.

Firstly, you need to consider where to get the information that you need. The guides may be in form of manuals or they may be print outs from sites or downloads. Whichever your source is, make sure they have the right information to guide you. Apart from being concise and legitimate, they should be accurate. If you need to have images to direct you, there are DVD's available to help you go step by step as you install your Pioneer car audio. Make sure you read on the various tips that are available for each car audio product you plan to install. Going through the manual in a car audio store will ensure that those hard or complicated steps are solved by the store staff. You therefore need to visit stores with staff who know about in depth details of a particular product.

Once you have all the information that you need, it is time to go to work. Get the tools that you may need. These tools may be crimping tools. These tools are used with a hammer to crimp terminal into wires. You also need connectors like butt slice connectors. You also need terminals like spade and ring. If there is any soldering to be done, which there usually is, be prepared with the appropriate tools. Take your time to make sure that every detail is in the correct order. For people who wish to rush through things blindly, this is not for them. You need to forget about other things and concentrate especially when you are doing the wiring as you undertake Pioneer car audio install.

When you have done your installation and everything does not work out as you hoped it would, it is not a time to give up. Slowly go through the procedures again and you will find the reason why you went wrong. If this does not work also, look for a professional who is trained to do this and hand over the job to them. The bottom line is to get the car audio safely installed in your car by whichever means possible. There are so many Pioneer car audio install manuals from their site and you can register to receive even more information through your email. When you are content with your results, congratulate yourself for doing a good job. You will feel so good when you know that you have a car audio system installed in your car, that will not disappoint.