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Updated 3/24/21 Swimming pools have to be maintained carefully and regularly. Stopping the pool from overheating can be a part of family pool maintenance, and it can certainly make the pool more comfortable. Keeping the pool area shaded can help reduce the pool water's overall temperature. Some pool owners also use evaporative coolers. These devices can sometimes be used to make a pool five to ten degrees cooler, which can have a powerful effect on what it's like to use the swimming pool. Getting accurate pool care is even more important in that regard. Individuals who search for 'clean my pool' online also might want to learn pool maintenance. Pool owners will need to practice some aspects of pool maintenance themselves. Professional pool cleaners can certainly help pool o...

UPDATED 9/5/20 There are more than 30.2 million small businesses in the United States, which makes up over 99 percent of all businesses in the United States, according to the Small Business Administration. Considering the many reasons for starting a small business, such as having a one of a kind business idea, wanting a career with flexibility, the concept of investing in yourself, and complete financial independence, the vast number of small businesses should not be a surprise. Although not every small business is primed for success and many of them actually fail. In fact, only two thirds of small businesses with employees last at least two years and only half of all small businesses last five years. Case in point, starting your own small business can be a ser...

Divorce can be a difficult time in anyone’s life, although raising a child alone can be even more difficult. The hectic life of a single parent can be overwhelmingly stressful. For single parents, it is paramount to fully understand and cope with this pressure for it not to rub off on your child. The good news is, you are not alone. In the United States, as low as 40% and high as 50% of marriages end in a divorce. As a result, single-parent families are more common than ever before. In fact, there are around 12 million households headed by a single parent, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2017. These parenting tips for single parents will help those manage the special challenges and circumstances they experience and provide their child with a healthy, happy, and fulfilli...

Did you know that people in the U.S. spend at least 1,896 hours per year at work? Employee satisfaction is an essential part of any business, whether you work in marketing or customer service. Ensuring that your employees are recognized is one of the best way to keep them feeling fulfilled and valued; in fact, around 86% of companies with employee recognition programs cite an increase in worker happiness, proving that even the simplest of rewards can have a significant impact. Unfortunately, some industries are more difficult than others when it comes to employee recognition programs. The Canadian trucking industry is a perfect example; it's worth over $65 billion and possesses more than 400,000 employees overall, 260,000 of which are drivers. When more than half of your workforce is cons...

When it comes time to repair their car, many people choose to take their vehicle straight to the dealership they bought it from. In fact, dealerships across the United States wrote over 316 million repair orders in 2017. However, millions of auto repair shops across the nation are smaller, independently-owned small businesses that help contribute directly to the local economy. If you're a small business owner looking to compete more with the larger shops in your area, here are a few tips to put you ahead and get your auto repair shop on the map. Know Your Competition The auto industry can be challenging enough as it is, but depending on where your business is located, your competition might be even more intense than you'd initially expect. Different areas of the country have different la...

Carbon emissions are at their highest rate since 2011, recent data shows. According to new research released by oil giant BP in its annual Statistical Review of World Energy, carbon emissions have risen at the fastest rate in nearly a decade and have jumped sharply since 2018 despite efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Surprise swings in global temperatures and extreme weather in the last year have increased the demand for fossil fuels. The global energy demand was up by 2.9%, nearly double the 1.5% average over the last 10 years. Carbon emissions also increased by 2%, the fastest rise in seven years. These percentages may seem small, but their implications aren't. "The energy data for 2018 paints a worrying picture," said Spencer Dale, the chief economist of BP. Dale says the i...

Over the years, people have been getting more and more creative with how they're building their homes. Those looking for eco-friendly alternatives to creating their own unique homes often end up creating entirely unique spaces with creative materials. Check out these green home ideas that are taking the real estate market by storm. Plastic Bottle Homes Today the world makes and consumes about 600 billion pounds of plastic yearly, and the market is still growing about 5% a year. With all that plastic getting made, a good amount of it ends up in landfills and as pollution, rather than in recycling centers. Some creative homeowners and builders have come up with a unique solution for this plastic waste: turning it into bricks for building. Many people have started to use plastic waste as a ...

Vehicular safety is still one of the biggest concerns for car shoppers, especially those with kids. There's a good reason for that. There are approximately 6 million car accidents in the United States each year, and according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), up to 34,247 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred on U.S. roads in just 2017. That's approximately 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people. In fact, vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of accidental deaths among U.S. teenagers. Some vehicles are more dangerous than others New vehicles are equipped with the latest safety features every year, but about 14 million vehicles on the road today are 25 years old or older. Some of those vehicles are historically responsible for more highway deaths than others. When bu...

With nearly 70 million people documented as having criminal records by the Interstate Identification Index, being locked up is something that a staggering number of Americans have experienced first-hand. In prison, incarcerated individuals don't have the chance to experience many simple pleasures or basic freedoms. But taking the opportunity to educate oneself and to stimulate the mind through the written word have generally been allowed. Although prison libraries and education programs may be lacking in many facilities, inmates usually have the chance to learn in some capacity. However, the Arizona Department of Corrections has taken extreme steps to bar those incarcerated from reading a particular title that they say would be "detrimental to the safe, secure, and orderly operation" of it...