(NewsUSA) – The holidays are around the corner, and now’s the time to decide what to buy the do-it-yourselfer on your list. According to a recent survey commissioned by Kelton Research and Craftsman, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of men plan on tackling some sort of DIY project next year.
Additionally, 69 percent of female respondents admit to having “a laundry list” of projects they’d like their spouse or significant other to take on around the house in the new year. Therefore, it’s safe to say that buying a new tool will hit the nail on the head.
With that in mind, and armed with the study’s results showing that 56 percent of men actually prefer to receive functional gifts like tools, and 67 percent of women prefer to give them, here’s a list of Craftsman tools that are “Guys’ Favorites Guaranteed” this holiday season:
* Clench Wrench Two-Piece Set. A convenient tool that can be used on more than 50 fastener sizes and types. The ratcheting feature and multi-positional head make for quick work.
* Universal Max Axess 19-piece Set. A pass-thru ratchet and socket system that virtually eliminates the need for deep sockets, and can work with six different types of nuts and bolts.
* V4 Combo — Screwdriver and Cutter. Perfect for light DIY projects around the home. The screwdriver has two speeds and features a cutter for various materials.
* NEXTEC G2 Drill/Driver. Boasts the best torque in its class, and an all new, two-speed gear box and 18-position clutch.
* NEXTEC G2 Multi-Tool. Not only can this tool sand, cut, grind, grate and remove grout, but it now offers a new tool-less accessory exchange, allowing a quick-release system to change the attachments versus using a tool such as a hex key, and a variable-speed dial that matches speed to the specific task at hand.
For more information on top holiday gifts and easy how-to projects around the home, visit the Craftsman Experience on www.facebook.com/craftsman. It is the ultimate DIY playground where clinics and demos are hosted by organizations that share their expert skills and talents in lawn and garden care as well as auto repair, woodworking and garage storage — all streamed live over the Internet.
Top Tools for the DIYer on Your Gift List
Get Out of the Dark With Routine Eye Exams
(NewsUSA) – Every five seconds, someone goes blind, but in 80 percent of the cases, the blindness is preventable. Blindness from eye disease is often treatable, but only if it’s noticed early through routine eye exams.
To help prevent avoidable vision loss, EyeCare America, a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, is offering free eye exams by volunteer ophthalmologists dedicated to a worthy cause. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye and vision care, from glasses to complex surgeries.
“More than 45 million people worldwide are blind,” says Richard P. Mills, MD. “In many cases, the most severe eye diseases offer no warning signs, until it’s too late and vision loss is irreversible. But regular eye exams can help you catch problems early, while there is still time to treat conditions and prevent permanent loss of sight.”
EyeCare America provides year-round eye exams at no out-of-pocket cost to people age 65 and over. Eye exams are provided by a corps of nearly 7,000 EyeCare America ophthalmologists across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
People who are interested
in the program can visit www.eyecareamerica.org to see if they are eligible. The organization’s online referral center also enables friends and family members to find out instantly if their loved ones are eligible to be matched with an ophthalmologist.
While some eye diseases, such as cataracts, progress slowly and offer symptoms, serious eye problems, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, often offer few or no warning signs. They can be caught and treated in the early stages through a medical eye exam when preventive care is still possible. By the time these conditions do begin to show symptoms, such as blurred vision or black spots across the field of vision, often vision loss is irreversible.
EyeCare America provides services to medically under-served seniors and those at a high risk for eye disease. Since its inception, EyeCare America has helped over 1.5 million people.
Hybrid Cars: The Performance Cars of the Future
(NewsUSA) – When most people think of hybrid cars, they imagine practical, mild-mannered vehicles. But could we someday see hybrid racecars burning up the tracks?
In March of 2010, Porsche (www.porsche.com/usa/) unveiled three hybrids at the Geneva Auto Show: one for the road; one for the race track; and one that is a genuine Porsche supercar. These innovative new Porsches — the Cayenne S Hybrid, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid and the 918 Spyder — show that hybrids can be sporty, fast and powerful.
The Cayenne S, Porsche’s first production hybrid car, features a sophisticated parallel full hybrid system with the combined power of a 380 horsepower V6 combustion engine and an electric motor. The car has the potential to significantly enhance fuel economy at high speeds — when the driver lifts off the accelerator at cruising or highway speeds, the gasoline engine can be switched off and disengaged from the drivetrain. This enables the vehicle to move without combustion or electric power.
The GT3 R’s innovative hybrid technology has been developed especially for racing. The front axle features two powerful electric motors that supplement the car’s 480 horsepower, naturally aspirated four-liter flat-six that drives the rear wheels. Instead of the heavy batteries found in hybrid road cars, an electrical flywheel power generator resides next to the driver to deliver energy to the electric motors. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid competed in the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in May 2010, leading for eight hours before retiring after 22 hours and 15 minutes for mechanical reasons. In the 2010 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta it finished 18th out of a starting field of 41 cars.
With the 918 Spyder high-performance mid-engine concept hybrid sports car, Porsche is displaying its expertise in the field of highly efficient and low-emission drive technology. The 918 Spyder prototype with plug-in hybrid technology combines high-tech performance features with electric mobility to produce a fascinating range of qualities. It has an ultra-compact car’s emission levels of 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer, and it consumes just three liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, but can go from 0 to 62 mph in just under 3.2 seconds and reach a top track speed over 198 mph.
A Guy’s Guide to Selecting Wedding Bands
(NewsUSA) – Congratulations to all you soon-to-be grooms. Now that your wedding is only months away, your jewelry collection — just a watch, huh? — is about to increase by as much as 50 percent.
Meaning, it’s time to start thinking about what kind of wedding band you want for yourself.
Wedding bands have become the norm for men in recent years — 97 percent of grooms in The Knot Market Intelligence’s “2011 Engagement & Jewelry Study” opted for one — so even if you have any doubts, your bride will probably set you straight. That means your only real decision is what kind of band best suits you.
To hear CNNMoney.com tell it, there are basically two camps: those who “don’t want to compromise” when it comes to quality (platinum bands), and those who feel they cannot afford the best and therefore need to settle (bands made from alternative metals). But, as jewelry expert Michael O’Connor points out, that doesn’t really give the whole picture.
“It’s true that platinum is so rare — 30 times more so than gold — that if all the world’s supply were melted and poured into an Olympic-size pool, it would barely reach your ankles,” O’Connor says. “But men’s platinum bands start at $500.”
That turns out to be pretty comparable to the cost of the two most popular alternative metals: titanium and tungsten carbide. Both are perhaps best known for being used to make fighter jets. Cool, right? Well, yes, but that also means they’re intrinsically lightweight and lack the heft of platinum.
“Most men prefer something that feels masculine on their finger,” says O’Connor.
There are other facts to consider, too. Tungsten and titanium jewelry will need special reconditioning if scratched, and cannot be resized. Even the more popular white gold will require rhodium replating to restore its white color due to wear over time. And while platinum — as all precious metals — can scratch, the metal is simply displaced on the surface of the ring, meaning very little metal is lost in wear. That makes it the most durable family heirloom that will last generations.
Still confused? Then ask yourself this question: How committed are you to your future wife?
If the answer’s what we think, then know that platinum has traditionally symbolized a relationship that will endure since it doesn’t fade or change color. “That’s the kicker for a lot of couples,” says O’Connor.
For more information, visit www.preciousplatinum.com/weddingbands.
Fashionable Blogging
Each day, more women are using blogs to get their latest dose of current events, international news and fashion advice. Blogs allow readers to consume information and commentary from a myriad of biased and potentially objective sources. Plus, blogs can be individually tailored to specific topics or audiences, as is the case with Nygard International’s “Fashioning Your Story” fashion blog.
Nygard International, a Canadian-based womens’ clothing company, created a blog to better connect with their diverse customers. The company is now a resource for information and news in addition to stylish shirts, versatile dresses and flattering pants.
Social Media Reaches the Fashion Shopper
Everyone’s aware of the phenomenon known as the Internet. Since it was first introduced to the public, cyberspace has been changing lives and transforming industries, making communication, learning and even shopping faster, easier and more efficient. Now, with the emergence and wild popularity of social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, companies have a host of new media with which to attract and engage customers like never before.
Reinventing Swimwear for Women
(NewsUSA) – Sunglasses: Check.Sunblock: Check.Swimsuit: Uh-oh!The sun is out, and the surf is up, but women everywhere can be found in front of full-length mirrors facing an age-old dilemma, thinking: "What swimsuit can I possibly pull off with my body type?"The bathing suit hunt is nothing less than discouraging. When met with most store’s racks crammed with handkerchief-size designs with bottoms that slip down and tops that ride up, women truly get the short end of the stick when it comes to summer swimwear.That is, until now. Launched in 2009, Ohio-based designer Debbie Kuhn is bursting onto the market with a new concept that is a twist and a blend of the tried and true: Girltrunks. Kuhn designed the two-piece suits because the traditional swimsuit market offered nothing that covered the legs.After accepting an invitation for a summer holiday in Montana that was to include tubing down the Madison, Kuhn found herself in a futile search in many a store for an appropriate outfit for the river excursion when she was struck with the perfect solution: "Why don’t I pair a tankini top with swim trunks?" She did just that. "It was a day in time I remember vividly. I felt so liberated, in swimwear of all things, and I wanted to share that feeling with other women."The trunks fit like finely tailored Bermuda shorts and are available in two leg-covering lengths. They are made of a quick-drying polyamide fabric with mesh lining that dries almost instantly, unlike many traditional women’s bathing suits. To complete the look, two top styles are offered in chic prints. All are available in sizes 4-24.Like the slogan "Reinventing swimwear for women," Gilrtrunks delivers a sense of confidence women so desperately lack during bathing suit season. But the suits don’t just flatter — they’re versatile, too. Swimming, visiting water parks, biking, hiking, jogging or just simply strolling the beach, Girltrunks lend themselves perfectly to any activity.Short to tall, skinny to plus-sized, apple to pear, teenager to grandmother; women no longer are forced to be swathed in the excess of a cover up. Comfortable, stylish and taking in the joys of summer — that’s you, girlfriend, in Girltrunks.Visit www.mygirltrunks.com to learn more about Girltrunks.
The Man Behind the Clothing
While the ‘60s may not have exactly been known for fashion (think psychedelic colors and mismatching patterns), it was also the decade that gave us the miniskirt, the bikini and skinny jeans.
In fact, one could argue that was when popular fashion was born—and when Canadian designer Peter Nygard first got his start.
Fast forward to present day, and Nygard has built his empire, Nygard International, not on the likes of those pieces that float down the runway at New York Fashion Week, but rather on collections that are timeless, well-tailored and affordable.
Women’s Swimwear Has Been Reinvented This Beach Season
Bathing suit season. The words strike fear in the hearts of women of all sizes, conjuring images of teeny-weeny bikinis and the inevitable wardrobe malfunctions. With bottoms that ride down and tops that ride up, women truly get the short end of the stick when it comes to summer swimwear.
That is, until now. Launched in 2009, Ohio-based designer Debbie Kuhn is bursting onto the market with a comfortable new concept that will have you gearing to go this summer: girltrunks. Kuhn designed the two-piece suits because the traditional swimsuit market offered nothing that covered the legs. After accepting an invitation to tube down the Madison River in Montana, she remembers futilely searching the racks at Nordstrom when she had a novel idea.
Dress for Success on a Shoestring Budget
You’ve probably heard it 100 times by now: If you want to make the right impression at work, you need to dress for success. But what exactly does that mean? And how are you supposed to look successful without breaking the bank?
Whether you would like to make a good impression at work or at a job interview or look professional and successful for an important business meeting, your work attire affects how others perceive you.
