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Images speak louder than words, and this is no exception…
Pope Francis, the 266th bishop of Rome, cradles the relics of the first Bishop of Rome, Saint Peter. With this display of continuity from the time of Christ to today, the Year of Faith was closed yesterday. Looking back, we must also look forward, as we, being Christians, are ever called to do.
As Pope Francis said in his homily:
"Jesus' promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God's grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom!"
A bit late, but I wanted to look back at the consecration of Bishop Ansgar Puff, last Saturday, as auxiliary bishop of Cologne and titular bishop of Gordus. Doing the consecrating honours were Joachim Cardinal Meisner, archbishop of Cologne; and Bishops Manfred Melzer and Dominik Schwaderlapp, auxiliaries of the same archdiocese. From Rome, German Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", attended the consecration.
Arguably Germany's tallest bishops, Msgr. Puff still reached to Cardinal Meisner's shoulders when kneeling for his consecration through prayer and the imposition of the cardinal's hands. In his homily, Cardinal Meisner said that a bishop is "and advocate of the world to heaven and an advocate of God for the people on earth".
Bishop Puff is a member of the Neocatechumenal Way and is not afraid to go out in the streets or confront people of different opinions. In the past, as personnel chief of the archdiocese, he has spoken with priests advocating reform in the Church, and in 2009 he participated in the eleven-day "Missionale Düsseldorf", as one of 70 priests inviting passers-by into conversations about the faith.
Bishop Puff's area of pastoral responsibility will be the southern part of the Archdiocese of Cologne, which is home to some 600,000 Catholics.
Photo credit: Boecker
On Thursday, the "upper church" of the Belgian Marian shrine at Beauraing was elevated to the dignity of basilica minor. The building, built in addition to the original chapel built on the site after the Blessed Virgin appeared there to five children in 1932 and 1933, will henceforth carry the name of Basilica of Our Lady with the Golden Heart.
The importance of Beauraing as one of Belgium's most important pilgrimage sites was reflected by the fact that seven bishops concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Rémy Vancottem, the ordinary of the Diocese of Namur, in which Beauraing is located. They were Cardinal Godfried Danneels (em. archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels) and Bishops Pierre Warin (aux. Namur), Aloys Jousten (em. Liège), Guy Harpigny (Tournai), Antoon Hurkmans ('s Hertogenbosch, Netherlands), Gérard Coliche (aux. Lille, France) and Pierre Raffin (Metz, France).
The new basilica is unique in several aspects. It is very young for a basilica, as it was consecrated only in 1960, and it stands out in its concrete barrenness. There are no decorations and statues (ony very subdued Stations of the Cross). The architect of the building wanted all attention to be on the altar.
Evidently, the vitality of the devotion and the faith displayed here is strong enough to overrule the other unofficial requirements for a minor basilica: that it be of a certain age (usually understood to be in the range of centuries) and of an outstanding beauty.
Our Lady with the Golden Heart is the 28th minor basilica in Belgium, and the fourth in the Diocese of Namur.
Bishop Vancottem's homily follows in my English translation below:
It is with joy that we are gathered in this in this upper church of the shrine of Beauraing, which was elevated to the status of basilica today.
When Mary appears to the children of Beauraing, it sometimes happens that she says nothing; but it is her attitude and her gestures that speak. Her smile. The arms that are opened. And how can we not be touched when she shows us her heart, as a heart of gold? A mother's heart which is an expression of the tenderness and the love of the heart of God. A golden heart which reflects all the love of Jesus – Jesus, who, as the mouthpiece of God's love for all people, goes to the extreme by dying on a cross -, and so one couldn't give this basilica a better name than that of Our Lady with the Golden Heart. With this, the basilica does not replace the chapel that Mary requested from the children. In a sense, it is an extension of it, and an invitation to answer increasingly better to that other wish of Mary's to come a pilgrimage here.
In the Gospel of the Annunciation we have just heard Mary pronouncing her "yes" to God. The Gospel ends with these words: "And the angel left her", which indicates that Mary, according to the Gospel, received no further special revelations. She continued "her pilgrimage of faith" through the dark moments and hardships of life. "[T]he Blessed Virgin," the Council states, "advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross" (Lumen Gentium, 58).
For us, who are still on or pilgrimage in a world where our faith is often tested, the faith of Mary is an example. What was announced by the angel is impossible, humanly speaking. And yet the answer of Mary is a simple and clear: "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said". Mary trusts the Word of God and devotes her entire life to the service of the "Son of God". This is typical of the "Gospel image" of the Virgin Mary: Her initial "yes" will develop into lifelong loyalty.
At the moment of her Son's birth, faith was needed to recognise the promised Saviour in this child of Bethlehem.
- Of the many years of Jesus of Nazareth's hidden life, the Evangelists only remembered the moment when Jesus was found in the temple. That was a moment of darkness in Mary's faith. "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?", Jesus tells His parents. But, the Gospel adds, "they did not understand what he meant. … His mother stored up all these things in her heart" (Luke 2: 48-51).
- Mary suffers the most radical test at the foot of the cross. She stands there, and it is there that she becomes the Mother of all the faithful. It is there that she receives her mother's heart. It is there that we understand that we can entrust ourselves to her motherly protection.
How important it is to discover the mother of God. Our mother began her journey in faith, like us her children, through dark moments and the tests of life. Her "pilgrimage" is also ours. The "yes" of the Annunciation led Mary to the foot of the cross. But the cross has become a Glorious Cross, an elevated cross. The cross leads to the shining light of the resurrection.
Coming to Beauraing on pilgrimage, we meet Mary, but only to let her lead us to her Son. "Do you love my Son?" she asks. "Do you love me?""Pray, pray often, pray always."
In this Year of Faith, in the heart of this Eucharist, she achieves for us, through her prayer, that we advance in faith in Jesus, her Son, died and risen, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
"Oh Mary, teach us to weather the tribulations of life, to utter a yes to God without equivocating, as you did at the Annunciation by the angel. Be our guide on the way that leads to God, through our yes that we repeat every day."
The coming pastoral year will be especially dedicated to catechesis. The Catechesis Commission of the Bishops' Conference will issue a document in early September about the pastoral course concerning the sacraments of Christian initiation. We will have the opportunity to discuss that further later.
I wish you all a good start of the pastoral year!
Photo credit: [1] Notre-Dame de Beauraing, [2] Tommy Scholtes
Yesterday, the body of Bishop Jan Bluyssen was moved from the monastery where he had lived for the past thirty years to the bishop's house, in preparation for tomorrow's funeral Mass. The transfer was preceded by a Mass offered by Bishop Antoon Hurkmans, who addressed the sisters of the Mariënburg monastery as follows in his homily:
"Sisters, you too are 'disciples' of the Lord. As John took Mary into his home, you took Bishop Bluyssen into your home. There is of course a great difference between giving someone a space to live and giving someone a home. You have done the latter. Monsignor knew himself to be truly at home with you. For almost thirty years, he enjoyed this to the fullest. He could always generously receive his family. You and those who worked with you took good care of him until the final day. He lived richly in your monastery. He studied, wrote, travelled, celebrated the liturgy and received many guests, This put a pressure on your household, but this was always possible as a matter of course. In his life with you, Monsignor remained faithful to what moved him most deeply. Travelling to and with God. This by living according to the example of the Good Shepherd in great service. Not only when it was convenient, no, serving daily. His presence here was rich. Life in reciprocity. Life according to the Gospel. As John was rich with Mary, Mary was rich with John."
With the name 'Mariënburg' referring to Mary and the late bishop's name being the Dutch equivalent of John, the comparison with the words of Jesus to His mother and his disciple under the Cross (John 19:26-27) becomes clear and gains, in this context, a specific and touching relevance.
The funeral is scheduled for 11:00 o'clock tomorrow.
Photo credit: Ramon Mangold
Pope Francis' recent homily about salvation, and even more so Father Thomas Rosica's comments about it, has led to much speculation, confusion and even anger about one of the most essential questions in the faith: the question of who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell. Maybe it's good to shine a small light on this difficult theological topic.
First of all, let's start with the words that Pope Francis spoke in his homily of 22 May:
"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all!"
The Church has always upheld the universality of redemption in contrast to some Protestant communities, who have limited it to a certain group of predestined faithful. A glance on the Catholic Encyclopedia page about this topic points our attention to some Scripture passages which bear this out. I'll quote a few, but do read the link above especially the subsection titled 'Universality of Redemption', to get an idea of traditional Catholic teaching about this subject.
1 John 2:2: "He is the sacrifice to expiate our sins, and not only ours, but also those of the whole world."
1 Timothy 2:4: "he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 4:10: "he is the Saviour of the whole human race but particularly of all believers."
2 Corinthians 5:19: "I mean, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not holding anyone's faults against them, but entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."
Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, by which He brought about redemption for humanity, was not in any way limited. It's target audience, so to speak, included every human being in past, present and future. But in order to properly understand this, we must try and understand how redemption works.
Perhaps it can be best likened, for the purpose of this blog post, to some form of medication, a pill perhaps, which works for everyone. It can relieve everyone of the pain of some illness. But it doesn't do so automatically: we must take the pill for it to work. It is no different in the case of redemption. In order for it to work in us, we must make the conscious decision to accept it. That is once again perfectly in accordance with the free will that God has created us with and which He always respects.
So, yes, Pope Francis is correct and in full agreement with Catholic teaching when he says that Christ also redeemed atheists. However, as is sort of their job description, they haven't accepted it yet. They haven't yet taken their medication, so it can't do its work. But unlike a pill, redemption has no sell-by date. It doesn't go bad if left on the shelf for too long.
Father Thomas Rosica, who is not the press chief of the Vatican as some media would have it, offers some answers to questions about the Pope's homily. He does not relegate all atheists to Hell (nor to Heaven, for that matter), but presents some much-needed nuance to the discussion, based on several passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Most important is that Christ is the final Judge: He will decide on the fate of everyone, based on how they have lived (and in that matter there can be no opposition between faith and works, as both are integral parts of a person's life).
Also important in the discussion above is Paragraph 171 of the Catechism, which asks "What is the meaning of the affirmation "Outside the Church there is no salvation"?"
This means that all salvation comes from Christ, the Head, through the Church which is his body. Hence they cannot be saved who, knowing the Church as founded by Christ and necessary for salvation, would refuse to enter her or remain in her. At the same time, thanks to Christ and to his Church, those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ and his Church but sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation.
In short, if a person knows that the Church that Christ founded is necessary for salvation, and nonetheless refuses to be part of her, he or she can not be saved. So, is this true for atheists, then? I would say that it isn't for the vast majority of them. Many people are atheist or agnostic out of ignorance, and generally not wilfully so. They do not know the Church as necessary for salvation, so it can't be held against them if they refuse to be part of her.
In his homily of last Wednesday, Pope Francis spoke much about "good works". This lines up well with the above quote from the Catechism: "those who … sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation."
There is much more that may be said about this, but the post is getting overly long anyway, so I'll leave it at this. But I will add an addendum:
Fr. Rosica's explanations (and those of others) do not contradict what Pope Francis has said, and nor do they indicate some division in the Vatican between the Pope and the Curia. That many media do choose to present it as such, should serve as a warning to us to always remain vigilant when reading or hearing someone's interpretation of Church affairs and teaching.
In this first week after Pentecost, three dioceses in the Netherlands are gearing up to ordain three priests each on Saturday. While it is no set rule, it is customary for new priests to be ordained around this time. Later on in the year, the expectation is that there will be at least one more ordination coming up in the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden, for example.
Tomorrow, however it will the Dioceses of 's Hertogenbosch, Haarlem-Amsterdam and Roermond's turn. Diocese by diocese, here are the new priests:
Diocese of 's Hertogenbosch, to be ordained by Bishop Antoon Hurkmans in the Cathedral Basilica of St. John:
Harm Eskes
- Peter Koen
- Bart Theunissen
Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, to be ordained by Bishop Jan Hendriks, the auxiliary, since Bishop Jos Punt has decided to temporarily lessen his workload in preparation for surgery:
Fred Deen
- Jeroen de Wit
- José Marin de Val
Diocese of Roermond, to be ordained by Bishop Frans Wiertz in St. Christopher's cathedral (and depicted above on the cover of the diocesan magazine):
- Roderick van Attekum
- Carlos Martinez
- Ralf Schreiber
With three of the new priest hailing from outside the Dutch borders (Marin del Val and Martinez are Colombian, and Schreiber German), this year's class has a fairly strong international element. And that is a trend which will become steadily more standard in the future, particularly since the Diocese of Roermond has just announced that no less than six Indian seminarians will be trained to become priests in that diocese. Starting their time in the Netherlands with an intensive fulltime course to learn the Dutch language, it will be interesting to see if and how these priests succeed in adapting to Dutch society, mentality and culture.
For now, however, prayers for the new priests of this year and all the years to come. May their numbers ever increase, for we do indeed need them.
And finally, to close with the reminder that Pope Francis imparted to the priests he ordained on 21 April:
"[D]ear sons, exercising for your part the office of Christ, Head and Shepherd, while united with the Bishop and subject to him, strive to bring the faithful together into one family, so that you may lead them to God the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out and save what was lost."
In the run-up to tomorrow's inauguration of King Willem Alexander there has been much attention paid to Catholic notions of kingship. While Christ is the one King, the Church also teaches much about the duties of earthly kings. Bishop Jos Punt's homily is an excellent example of the latter. It also contains an interesting glimpse of the religious landscape of the Netherlands and the role of tolerance, as well as a theological explanation of the globus cruciger. Recommended reading (for Dutch readers, the original text).
A recording of the Mass, by Dutch public television, may be viewed here.
In closing, some words by Father Jim Schilder, priest of the basilica of St. Nicholas:
"Today is the fifth Sunday of Easter. But is also two days before the inauguration of our Crown Prince. That is, you could say, a moment of renewal. A threshold to a new era, without breaking with the past. That is also what we see in this time of Easter. On the one hand it is a time of revolutionary renewal through the resurrection of Christ, and on the other hand a time of a new covenant rooted in the old. It is still about the way that God wants to travel with us, about his continuous invitation to follow Him. We can do this by answering the call of Jesus in today's Gospel: "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." This goes beyond the two commandments He gave before, and which were already present in the Old Testament: To love God, and your neighbour like yourself. In the Gospel of John He asks us to love each other as He has loved us. His love was characterised by the fact that His entire earthly life was devoted to the other. "I have come to serve." May the same, we pray, also be true for our new head of state."
Photo credit: [1] Isabel Nabuurs, [2] Fr. Jim Schilder.
"One thing above all appears different, seen with the eyes of faith: death! Christ entered death as we enter a dark prison; but he came out of it from the opposite wall. He did not return from whence he came, as Lazarus did who returned to life to die again. He has opened a breach towards life that no one can ever close, and through which everyone can follow him. Death is no longer a wall against which every human hope is shattered; it has become a bridge to eternity. A "bridge of sighs", perhaps because no one likes to die, but a bridge, no longer a bottomless pit that swallows everything. "Love is strong as death", says the song of songs (Sgs 8:6). In Christ it was stronger than death!"
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Homily for Good Friday 2013 (Also available in Dutch).
It's been a while since this blog featured some words by the great archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, André-Joseph Léonard. Below is my translation of his homily on the occasion of Pope Francis' installation, yesterday.
The cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, where the Mass was held, could not house all the faithful who had come. Among them was Queen Fabiola. Archbishop Léonard concelebrated with the other Belgian bishops – except for Ghent's Bishop Van Looy, who was in Rome – Archbishop Giacinto Berloco, the Nuncio to Belgium and Luxembourg, and Archbishop Alain Lebeaupin, Nuncio to the European Union.
The archbishop speaks about the unreserved faith of St. Joseph, and also paints a picture of Pope Francis which shows him as a continuation of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in his modesty and humility.
"Providence decided that the inthronisation of Pope Francis would take place on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, but also patron saint of Belgium. Allow me to consider that a small wink in our direction…
This morning the bishop of Ghent, Monsignor Luc Van Looy, represented the bishops of Belgium at the installation in Rome. I am grateful to him for that, as well as to our voting cardinal, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who stayed in Rome for the occasion. In the spirit of simplicity that already characterises our new Holy Father, and since the Belgian representation in Rome was already assured, I thought it better to stay in Belgium to thank God with you all and with my fellow bishops for the gift of Pope Francis.
Saint Joseph played a major part in our salvation history. Eve though he is only the foster father, not the biological father of Jesus, it is yet he who, within the framework of Jewish law, assures that Jesus – the Messiah (in Hebrew) or the Christ (in Greek) – descends from David, of whom we heard in the first reading of this liturgy.
The second reading was chosen to illustrate the faith of Saint Joseph, which may be compared to that of Abraham. For Abraham had faith without reservations in the word of God, which proclaimed that he, despite his and his wife's advanced age, would be the father of many peoples. And he kept believing in that, even if the apparent death of Isaac, his only son, seemed to rob him of any hope of offspring. Abraham had faith in God, without any reservations. And because of that God recognised him as righteous.
But Joseph as well, he too, had to believe – almost blindly, in a complete surrender – that what had happened with his wife Mary came from God and not from man. He had to efface himself in a radical faith, for an act of God which transcends any understanding; an act which makes us say in the Apostle's Creed: "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary."
And the Gospel of today shows us what it cost Joseph, but Mary as well, to make themselves so very small for that mysterious work in Jesus. "Son," Mary says to Jesus, "why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And then that shocking answer of Jesus! The answer of a child who is only twelve years old, but who already knows that he came from God, who knows, deep inside, what we express in the Nicean Creed, that He is "God from God, light from light, true God from true God." Hence His confusing answer: "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Mary had spoken about "Your father and I", but Jesus quietly corrects His mother's words: He speaks of "My Father" when He refers to the God of Israel, who resides in the temple in Jerusalem. When Jesus has stayed behind in Jerusalem, that is not the flight of a teenager, but because He – in the innocence of twelve-year-old child – wanted to stay in the House of Him who is His true Father: "In my Father's house is where I had to be". And Luke acutely says about Joseph and Mary, "they did not understand what he said to them". But they will understand later. After they had kept the events in their hearts and considered them for a long time.
Saint Joseph, then, played a major role in the life of the Church. Through him, because of his role as foster father, Jesus discovered in His human conscience the father figure of God, His sole and unique Father.
Our previous Pope, Benedict XVI, whose baptismal name is Joseph, was also characterised by humility and a great modesty. We don't know a lot yet about his successor, the Bishop of Rome, Francis. But the first signs which he has given in only a few days clearly indicate that the patronage of Saint Francis of Assisi is not just empty words for him. He will be humble, like Benedict XVI, not just in his personality, but also in the outward signs of his mission as successor of Peter. Like Saint Joseph he will consider himself merely a foster father – if I may say it like that – knowing that we are all children of the one true Father, our heavenly Father, and that the Church, the Bride of Christ, is not here just for herself, but only to lead to truth, goodness and the beauty of her only love: the Christ, her bridegroom.
Of course, there were some in the media – which have the valuable task to inform us – who immediately tried to paint our new shepherd in a negative light. But just as fast there were voices, normally not too inclined to speak positively about the Vatican, which, supported by documents, pointed out the baselessness of these accusations. Let us, for our part, thank God for the gift He gives us: not just a new Pope, but also a shepherd with a totally new style. And let us – like he asked us so touchingly on the night of his election – pray intensely for him, for the universal Church for which he has responsibility, and for this world of which he is the foremost spiritual and moral guide. Amen."
Photo credit: Phk/Kerknet


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Been using the Frequency Measurement Library, it's great. Been using it to measure the speed and RPM on my car. Is there a way of measuring 0 frequency to show 0 speed or 0 RPM at all?
Just as a heads up, if you are getting your signal from a hall effect sensor you should be able to read zero speed, but from what I have been looking up, most speed sensors are a much cheaper variable reluctance sensor. As I understand it, variable reluctance (VR) sensors do not do well at slow speeds. This code and my VR sensor off of a Borg-Warner T5, for a S-10, cannot go down to 0 rpm. I can only get to 10s or rpm. Hall effect sensor can take true zero speed measurements. Good luck.

subset: commoncrawl


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Liability and Large-Scale, Long-term Hazards
AbstractThis paper analyzes the application of liability to large-scale, long-term hazards. The key features distinguishing such hazards are the long temporal separation between exposure to a hazard and disease, and the large damages when injuries finally emerge. The large scale of damages creates a strong incentive to avoid liability payments and the long temporal separation creates numerous avenues through which parties can avoid paying possible damage awards. The analysis focuses on the incentive to avoid paying damages by vertically divesting production tasks associated with serious occupations risks. The paper then presents an empirical regression analysis of small-firm entry into the U.S. economy between 1967 and 1980. Copyright 1990 by University of Chicago Press.
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Bibliographic InfoArticle provided by University of Chicago Press in its journal Journal of Political Economy.
Volume (Year): 98 (1990)
Issue (Month): 3 (June)
Pages: 574-95
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presented by transworld.tv
FULL PART of Jake Welch's from new movie "F-IT" by Forum, Special Blend and Foursquare. This is no B Footy or Remix, it's the real deal. Enjoy viewing right here exclusively on TWSNOW.com
Full movie DVD out at your local snowboard shop and download at iTunes HERE


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Even numbers work the best though!
To tell you the truth the hardest group to put on the elevators are groups of 5. Because our rows only fit 4 guests or groups of 3. So I can take the easiest route and just place them in rows one and three (3 guests in row one and 2 guest in row three wich is right behind them). Or I can do it the hard way and put 4 on row six and 1 on the back of row five which I have to explain to them many many times and that they will be sitting to each other. Rows five and six are next to each other and theres no steps or aisle that seperates the rows.
So parties of 5 and 13 are the hardest and the rest are pretty much easy!
Not a good number for most rides if we want to stay together. So of late, we've been taking our chances in the single rider line since we can't sit as a group anyway.
The capacity of a Jungle Cruise boat.
p.s do the math (he,he,he)


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How to waterproof a tile bathroom floor?
I would like to waterproof the tile floor in the bathroom of a 50 year old home. This is to prevent any additional waterdamage to the subfloor/floor joists. I tried several applications of sealant product but water still leaks through to the crawl space. I installed a shower door but the tenants seem to be unable to prevent water from getting on the floor when exiting the shower. Are there any other products that I could apply?
Have you checked for plumbing leaks? If you have that much water on the floor, you probably have a tenent that won't close the door when having a shower. Stopping all water is not easy, the transition from floor to wall if grouted can crack and should be sealed, the toilet is sealed to keep its water in the pipe, but floor water can find it's way around the outside of the pipe. The vanity is also a problem, where water can run under it. Once you have made a swimming pool out of the bathroom, where will the water go.
I have run a bead of silicone b/w the tub base and tile floor. Pretty sure it is coming from the floor just outside the tub. I poured a small amount of water (4oz) on the floor in the suspected area and by the time I could crawl under the tub in the crawl space(apprx 5 mins), the majority of the water had leaked through to the ground in the same location as previous leaks. I have also checked under the tub while the shower was running and did not witness any leaking. From the underside of the bathroom floor, the leak location corresponds to the area just outside the tub where one would step when coming out of the shower/tub).
Sounds like you have a problem with the grout, maybe a tile expert will come along.
It's best to consult trade's people about how and where to waterproof. Waterproofing is expensive. In older homes not all areas were waterproofed. You can remove tiles, waterproof and re-tile, or waterproof with old tiles.
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The Henry County School District is in charge of the fifteen county schools in the Henry County District.... more
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Click here to learn about all of the upcoming events here at the Champions Center
The Champions Center is home to numerous events every year. Here we showcase some pictures for just a few of the events throughout the year.
The Midwest's Premire LiveStock & Expo Center
August 2nd-3rd ~ Ohio Paint Horse Amateur Show September 12th-14th ~ Best of the Best Charity Barrel Race
August 8th-10th ~ Eastern Regional Championship Miniature Horse Show September 19th-21st ~ Closed for the Antique Extravaganza
August 23rd-24th ~ Ohio Half Arabian Horse Show September 26th-28th ~ Springfield Charity Horse Show
August 30th-September 1st ~ Fallen Horsemen Memorial Horse Show


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MADISON (WKOW) -- – Marcel Taylor is back in custody and returned to the Dane County Jail.
Earlier Monday, Taylor was released from the Public Safety Building for a medical appointment. He was to return by 12:15 p.m. By 2:00 p.m., he still had not returned and was declared AWOL.
MADISON (WKOW) -- Dane County Sheriff's say 45-year-old Marcel Taylor is AWOL from the jail.
Taylor was sentenced with Huber on charges of retail theft and possessing a narcotic. He was released from the Public Safety Building Monday morning for a medical appointment and was scheduled to return by 12:15 p.m. He still had not returned at 2:00 p.m. and thus declared AWOL.
Taylor is 5'8" tall and approximately 200 lbs. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911.
The Dane County Sheriff's Office is also still seeking information on the whereabouts of inmate Paul D. Richardson, age 24 of Madison, who was declared AWOL Friday, February 22nd.


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Converting Your Holiday Rental Property to Solar Energy
I have been researching the return on investment of converting our Bed and Breakfast cottages over to solar energy for a while now. Until recently I have wavered as the initial up front cost was hard to justify as I wanted to convert both to solar power and hot water. Another factor that has held me back was the visual concerns of having solar panels Burwood on the roof line of the cottages as they would not fit the style of the traditional style of the cottages.
The reason as an owner of up market Bed and Breakfast units my customers are not prone to saving energy when they stay in the accommodation – and quite rightly so. They are wanting to have a luxury experience where they can escape the usual concerns such as 'switching off the lights' when they are staying with us. But as the property owner and the person paying the bills for the business I have to consider minimizing expenses as much as possible to ensure the accommodation business remains viable.
Lately with the significant increases in traditional electricity and gas utilities I have bitten the bullet and decided to install solar energy systems into the B and B cottages.
I have researched the best solar panels Melbourne experts that are able to supply quality systems at the best price possible, and also for solar power Darwin suppliers as I have a colleague in the Northern Territory and we were interested if a company could do a more competitive deal if we bundled our orders together. The other requirement that we are looking for is that the panels blend in as much as possible to the roof line of the buildings that they will be installed on.
We had shortlisted three potential suppliers and I will add to this article when we finalize the successful company.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WHTC) - A 38-year-old Grand Rapids man remains behind bars after an alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old Jenison girl that he had met online.
Manuel Salto was arraigned yesterday on several counts in Grand Rapids District Court. He was arrested at his home on Thursday, hours after picking up the unnamed victim. Investigators say that the two had been communicating over the Internet for "some time." The victim's parents had notified Ottawa County Sheriff's Deputies earlier in the day about their daughter's disappearance, and emails from the victim led detectives to Salto's home, where the girl was recovered and returned to her family.
Salto, who has a prior conviction that has placed him on the state's sex offender registry, was ordered held on 100 thousand dollars bond, and could face over two decades in prison if convicted. He has a December 13th preliminary hearing in Grand Rapids.


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by Bilal V - June 17, 2014
Roman reigns in the battle royal & a Stardust is born
Should Cena be the headliner of Money In The Bank?
Download this podcast or find old ones on iTunes here just make sure to come back here to comment!
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Tag Archives: australia
Women at Australian Defence Force Academy treated as "game," inquiry finds
By Chloe | Published: November 10, 2011
TweetRegular readers know I've been following the story about women cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy for some time now. This April, ADFA became embroiled in scandal when one cadet had consensual sex with another, then filmed and broadcast the encounter to a group of other cadets via Skype without her consent. In the [...]
Also tagged International, Military, sexual violence | Comments closed
Quick hit: Welcome to Australia
By Chloe | Published: October 19, 2011
TweetThe debate over Australia's immigration policy is heated, and, at times, utterly horrid. The dehumanizing terms in which politicians now speak about asylum seekers, referring to them as "the boats" – as in, "turn back the boats," as if those boats don't have real human beings in them – are profoundly upsetting, and echo the [...]
Also tagged Immigration, International | Comments closed
Men's sheds: because blokes have feelings, too
By Chloe | Published: August 30, 2011
TweetI'm home in Sydney for a few weeks, visiting family and enjoying the crisp early spring after a long, sweaty New York summer. Last week I opened our local paper to find an article about a plan to build and open a men's shed in my suburb. What is a men's shed? you're probably asking [...]
Also tagged International, manhood, Masculinity, Men, men's health | Comments closed
An unwanted American export: invasive anti-choice tactics
By Chloe | Published: June 7, 2011
TweetTaking a dick move out of the American anti-choicer playbook, protesters at Australian abortion clinics have started filming women as they enter and leave clinic buildings. Doctors have called on police to intervene, but police can't intervene because the protesters aren't breaking the law. Protesters say that the decision to videotape outside clinics isn't about [...]
Also tagged anti-choice extremism, International, reproductive freedom | Comments closed
In praise of Anna Bligh
By Chloe | Published: January 14, 2011
TweetWhat would Anna Bligh do? That's the question some Australians have been asking as the flooding in the northeastern state of Queensland becomes one of the worst natural disasters in the nation's history. Bligh is the Premier of Queensland, a position she has held since 2007, a member of the Labor Party, and the country's [...]
Also tagged Environment, Politics | Comments closed


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DTCCs Bodson: Regulators Blew It on Global Risk Initiatives
April 29, 2013
The lack of coordination amongst regulators is incredible, DTCC chief executive Michael Bodson said Monday at the 2013 SIFMA Operations Conference. And that has undermined global leaders efforts to create a coordinated view of financial risks worldwide.
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Hey you pervy Tumblr Masses!
This is Byourii, semi-popular artist on FurAffinity by the same alias, and owner of the semi-popular Pokemon request blog, Pokemon By Byourii, I posted over there a few weeks ago about shutting down house and moving and, well, here I am! I made all the art you see…
Hey look!
I told ya'lls it'd be coming soon!
And the art is on its way!


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CLEVELAND -- The New York Yankees got a major boost from their young pitchers Monday night.
Shane Greene allowed two runs in six innings for his first major league win, All-Star Dellin Betances earned his first career save and the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3.
Greene (1-0) didn't allow a hit until Nick Swisher's two-out homer in the fifth. The 25-year-old right-hander was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after scheduled starter Vidal Nuno was traded to Arizona for right-hander Brandon McCarthy on Sunday.
"It's a dream come true," Greene said. "There's no question about that."
Betances pitched the final two innings, giving closer David Robertson a rest day.
"It's pretty cool," Betances said. "I was just trying to go out there and keep it the same and make pitches."
"Some really good stuff out of some young pitchers," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We've gotten a lot of help from our guys in the minor leagues."
Brett Gardner, Brian McCann and Ichiro Suzuki had three hits apiece for New York, which has won four of five on its 11-game road trip.
Justin Masterson (4-6) continued to pitch poorly and was pulled without retiring a batter in the third. Cleveland's opening-day starter allowed five runs and six hits in two-plus innings. He walked three, hit a batter and rarely topped 90 mph in his 54 pitches, throwing only 24 strikes.
A 15th-round selection by New York in 2009, Greene allowed four hits, struck out two and didn't walk a batter. His only big league appearance prior to Monday came in relief against Boston on April 24 when he pitched one-third of an inning and allowed three unearned runs. Greene walked three of four hitters, all of whom scored, and threw eight of 23 pitches for strikes.
"We've said all along this kid has a lot of talent," Girardi said. "He did a lot of good things."
It's unclear if Greene will get another start.
"That's obviously going to be a topic of discussion," Girardi said. "We haven't made any decisions moving forward. We'll figure it out here pretty quick."
Asked if he thinks he deserves to in the rotation, Greene smiled and said, "That's not up to me."
Derek Jeter, playing in his final regular-season series in Cleveland, was 1 for 4 and drew a bases-loaded walk in the second.
Yan Gomes hit a leadoff homer in the eighth.
New York scored three times in the second when Masterson allowed four hits, walked two and hit a batter. Brian Roberts had an RBI double, Brett Gardner drove in a run with a single and Jeter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Ichiro Suzuki's infield hit and Francisco Cervelli's fielder's choice added two runs in the third.
Masterson's struggles have become a growing concern for the Indians. Over his last five starts, the right-hander has allowed 19 runs, 27 hits and 17 walks in 18 innings. Masterson has pitched more than four innings once in that stretch.
Masterson was given extra time off because of a sore knee after lasting four innings against Arizona on June 24, but that didn't help. He didn't retire a batter in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and a stint on the disabled list is a possibility.
Asked about Masterson's knee Francona said, "It's hard to ask somebody when they're pitching. I think we need to sit and visit with Masty. The middle of a game's not the time to do that."
"We'll talk about it, I guess," Masterson said. "If that were brought up I guess that would be something to talk about to work through."
Masterson is a free agent after the season. The two sides talked about a contract extension in spring training, but didn't reach an agreement.
NOTES: Yankees OF Carlos Beltran didn't play because of swelling behind his right knee. He said following the game that he might return to the lineup Tuesday. ... Indians OF Michael Bourn will miss three to four weeks with a strained left hamstring. .... McCarthy will make his first start for the Yankees on Wednesday. ... Cleveland acquired OF Chris Dickesron from Pittsburgh for cash or a player to be named. He started in left field and had a sixth-inning single. ... The Indians honoured their former television/radio announcer Mike Hegan, who died in December, in a pregame ceremony. Hegan, a native of Cleveland, began his major league career with the Yankees in 1964. ... All-Star RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-3) faces Indians RHP Trevor Bauer (2-4) on Tuesday.
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Scott MacArthur, Richard Griffin & Gregor Chisholm discuss quiet trade deadline for the Blue Jays, struggling rotation & potential Biogenesis fallout.
Scott MacArthur & Toronto Star's Richard Griffin preview the trade deadline, Blue Jays' needs & being on Boston as Jon Lester rumours ramp up.
LA Angels infielder, John McDonald joined Blue Lunch to discuss his career from the time he left Toronto to the present.


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Preparing to Shop for a New Mattress
Published on - July 15th, 2009 (by J.D. Roth)
On Monday, I mentioned that Kris and I are ready to replace our 15-year-old mattress. I don't sleep well on it, though I sleep fine on other mattresses. I only mentioned this to illustrate a point, but I was surprised at how many readers commented on my situation.
Jason's comment was typical:
I've found that sleep is the absolute root of everything. With decent sleep, I'm a better man, father, athlete, spouse, employee and all around person. With poor sleep, I'm just getting by at best, an irritable mess at worst.
I'd replace that mattress yesterday, as others have already said. Think of the other things you "just do" when they wear out and become unsafe or function poorly — car tires, toothbrushes, sponges, knives, ladders, etc. The mattress very easily fits into the same category.
Unfortunately, "an irritable mess" pretty much describes me lately, and I'm sure that a lot of this stems from poor sleep. I don't need more convincing. I'm ready to purchase a new mattress. But how do I go about it without getting ripped off? For some reason, I think of mattress shopping in the same way I think about shopping for a used car.
In the same discussion, EBYT wrote that she sold mattresses while attending university. She offered the following tips for mattress shopping:
- Mattresses are hugely marked up (at least here in Canada). I bought one for staff price (brand new, not a display model) that cost 50% less than what we were selling it for. They still made money off of me. Either wait till they go on sale, or make sure you ask for a good deal. Good mattress/box sets start around $1,500 "regular" price.
- Make sure you buy a mattress pad so you get full warranty. The salespeople will try to sell you on the manufacturer's 10-year warranty, but they don't always tell you the warranty is void if you stain it.
- To go along with the warranty thing, always buy the matching mattress/boxspring set. Mismatching usually voids the warranty. The boxspring is usually only about 10-15% of the mattress set's price so don't try to cut costs there, or by using your old "perfectly good" boxspring.
- Don't be afraid to test the beds on the showroom floor — that's what they're there for.
Another reader suggested buying a mattress from a warehouse club. Kris and I made a trip to Costco the other day to look at their mattresses. As always, the prices are great but the selection is poor. Plus, there's no way to "sleep-test" the mattresses (which are just in a big stack in the middle of the store). Would it be bad form to sleep test at a mattress store and then buy from Costco? Could I even find the same models?
Finally, here are some articles about mattress shopping from other sites:
- Birds and Bills: Braving mattress sales, which says: "After a few glances at the mattress sales tags, which featured minimal text and explanation, I ended up giving up entirely on trying to "shop" by feature — latex? foam? coils? I had no idea which I wanted — and just road-tested a few. And … they mostly felt alike."
- MSNBC: Don't lose sleep buying the perfect mattress, which says: "Offer the retailer a couple of hundred dollars less than the one on the price tag. Be prepared to negotiate from there. If the mattress feels good to you, then that is the right mattress for you."
- Slate: Going to the mattresses, which says: "If you can't tell the difference between a $200 and a $900 mattress (I couldn't, but maybe you can), get the cheaper one. They're nearly the same, anyway. Anything over $1,500 and you're just paying for prestige."
- USA Today: How not to lose sleep over buying a mattress, which says: "The 'best' mattress comes down to personal preference — consumers are urged to test mattresses before buying. It also pays to know what's inside each type — and why."
In any event, it seems that Kris and I will soon be sleeping on a new mattress. I have my fingers crossed that this will give me better rest and, in turn, make me a less irritable mess!
Photo by The Truth About.
This article is about House and Home, Shopping
Like you, we needed a new mattress. However, our current financial situation prevented us from spending that kind of money right now. We aren't in debt, but my business is taking in about 40% less income than it was just a year ago, thanks to my clients who are cutting back on spending right now as well as a few who have gone out of business.
For about $120, we bought a memory foam cover from Costco. It's fabulous. The only downside was the smell of the foam first out of the box — let it breathe in the garage or outdoors for a day or two first. We also have a mattress that is about 13 years old. This foam pad will enable us to get few more years out of our old mattress before we have to buy a new one. In a few years, hopefully, we'll be in a better position to buy a new mattress with cash.
We also bought a couple of memory foam pillows from our chiropractor's office — it really helped reduce my husband's neck problems and subsequent migraines. Total cost was about $250 for everything, and we are both sleeping much better. Money well spent!
Good luck!!!
My friend's dad once told him – always have good shoes and a good mattress, you're usually on one or the other! Great advice I'd say!
Oddly, buying a mattress is even more opaque than buying a car. It's very unlikely that you will be able to find the exact model of a mattress you test drive in a store at Costco because there is a ton of white-labeling and different models (even within the same brand) depending on the distributor. Consumer Reports doesn't provide mattress ratings because of the millions of variations and lack of consistency, but they do have a guide:
I always get nervous buying a new bed because of all these factors. My advice: spend as much time as you can spare test-driving. Lie on each bed for more than a few minutes, as the too-hard / too-soft revelations don't come right away. And, if possible, buy from a place that has some sort of exchange offer within 30 days. We had to change up last time we bought a bed and I was so glad we were able to exchange.
One thing about price comparison or testing a mattress at one store and then buying at a warehouse club is that mattress stores do not use the same name for the same mattresses in order to prevent you from price shopping. Mattress salesmen are very similar to used car salesman. The funniest information I found online about buying a mattress was walk into your local mattress store, ask the salesman what is on sale and then yell in unison with him, "EVERYTHING'S ON SALE". I ended up buying a memory foam topped mattress with a cooling layer (important for foam) from Costco for about half what most mattress stores were offering. I just pulled it out of the racks and lay on it on the floor in the warehouse for awhile, so I got a good test of the mattress and entertained the local shoppers.
Don't buy a pillowtop. Get a featherbed. You will get more out of it by flirting and cleaning it. That is fluffing.
Stacy at Birds and Bills wrote recently about mattress shopping.
For my part, I bought a pillowtop mattress and boxsprings set from Costco about ten years ago, and it's holding up extraordinarily well.
As far as finding a model of the Costco mattress to test elsewhere: you can probably do it, if you're clever. Goods sold at warehouse clubs nearly always have unique manufacturer model numbers assigned just to the version sold by that club, but by comparing features you can usually figure out which regular model number it corresponds to. I haven't tried mattresses, but I do that with appliances all the time.
We need a new mattress, too, but are waiting before we drop a bit of cash on it. I've been considering Barbara Flanagan's advice, from Flanagan's Smart Home. She recommends a 100% natural latex mattress for its long life – 20+ years, renewability and sustainability, and biodegradability. She cites a lot of other very good arguments I won't go into detail about. You should check out the book; I think it's up your alley.
Also, if you're planning on ever moving (houses or furniture) be sure and get mattress with handles. We've got a big floppy queen with no handles and it's a huge pain to move.
I just bought a new mattress about a month and a half ago. I am fortunate to live in a large metropolitan area (LA) and there are many (probably a couple dozen) mattress stores within just 5 miles of my house.
I went in five or six different stores, gave the salesman my budget ($1,000) and let him give his spiel and show me the mattresses. I laid on each one a couple minutes and after a couple quickly got an idea what I really wanted. If you tell the salesman the best deal you've gotten so far, he'll suddenly be able to match or beat it. After shopping for a few hours, I narrowed it down pretty quickly to three mattresses that met all my criteria and were quite close in comfort. I ended up with a queen size memory-foam pillowtop with foam encasement with boxspring for just a bit under $1000 out the door – on a mattress with a tag price of $2000. Make sure to negotiate delivery and disposal of your old mattress with the price and don't be afraid to walk out on a good deal if you're not 100% sold. I was also able to get $30 off since I didn't need a new frame. 10 years is a pretty standard warranty but be sure to get a protector (I bought mine from Overstock.com, not the mattress store) to ensure it doesn't get stained as this does indeed void the warranty.
My sister's boyfriend (who is an AWESOME negotiator), recently bought a mattress, and he used similar tactics one would use for a car. He shopped around. He talked to a salesperson, mentioned that he had a few options. He negotiated, struck a deal, and then WALKED AWAY WITHOUT BUYING. Then he came back a few hours later and negotiated them down a few more dollars. When they finally settled on a price (and this just had me in awe), they rang it up and started to add on tax, he said "No, I'm paying X amount, and not a penny more." He had them refigure the price, to include the tax. He walked out with the mattress he wanted.
When my husband and I bought a new bed a couple of years ago we went to an outlet store for a name brand mattress manufacturer. Many of what we saw were "last year" models and they took a larger percentage off the price of the mattress the longer it had been in the store. We decided that we liked a very firm mattress — apparantly we are in the minority because there were several and we were able to buy a set that had been there for several months. We paid about $450 the warranty and delivery included. Look around for an outlet store!
The biggest racket the mattress industry has pulled to date is the "no-flip" mattress. I think Simmons started it, and other companies followed suit, and now it's virtually impossible to find a two-sided mattress.
"No-flip" mattresses are touted as being convenient and easy for the consumer, but in reality they are huge money savers for mattress giants – basically, half the manufacturing cost and mattress life at the same sale price. This is like advertising a "no oil-change car", where the car still requires oil but the cap is glued on.
I bought the mid-range latex mattress from Ikea (queen size, $699) and I LOVE it. I've never slept better, I can flip the thing if I so desire, and it doesn't get all "shweddy" like memory foam. I cannot endorse it enough. Latex seems to be the perfect happy medium for couples with different firmness needs, it lasts forever (my aunt has had hers for over 30 years) and it's reasonably priced if you get it somewhere like Ikea.
My wife and I just bought a new mattress. Its a Keetsa, http://www.keetsa.com/
We were just down in California and went to their store in San Francisco and tried them out. We went with a coil spring with foam top mattress, Keetsa Pillow Soft. Its the middle one, not too firm, not too soft.
Last night was the first night sleeping on it, but it was good, much better than our Sealy. I'll post back in a few nights about how it is.
As for the Sealy we bought it 5 years ago at the Costco Home store, which is now closed. But they used to have all the beds in stock all the time and setup to try out. Our course it felt good, but over time the mattress just started to sage in the middle.
We also found out they but a stiffer area around the edges of the Sealy since alot of people just sit on the edge to test beds out. So it holds up better for showing in a store.
Last night we took back the bed to Costco, no questions asked and got a full refund. So at least if you buy a bed from Costco and don't like it, you can take it back.
14I actually bought a new mattress afew months ago from Ikea. I fell asleep on it in the showroom. They actually woke me up as they were closing. They loved having me sleeping as others were looking at beds..
I love it and it was a good price.
Wow, I'm fascinated! When I moved to Portland I went to PJ's Sleep Shop on Hawthorne and bought myself a mattress and boxspring for $250, which included frame and delivery. I have no qualms over my bed and it's still in fine shape four years later. I had no idea most people spent so much, or haggled so much, or found it so difficult. I count my blessings — I guess I'm just an easy sleeper?
Good luck with the purchase!
In my experience, it's virtually impossible to find the exact mattress at two different stores. Sometimes you may find similar features at two locations, but not to the extent where I would definitively say that it's the exact same thing with a different name.
I had very good luck finding a queen size mattress at Sam's Club maybe 4 years ago, and paid maybe $400 (mattress & boxspring) for what I believe is comparable to a $750-$1,000 furniture/mattress store. (I normally avoid Sam's & Wal-Mart, but I did make an exception in that case, given the vast price difference. I'm willing to pay a little extra to a locally owed store, but not 3 or 4 times as much.)
When I went looking for a king size mattress after getting married, I found that the discounts at Sam's were far greater for the queen than it was for the kind, enough that I wasn't willing to take the risk of the lack of a better chance of trying it out. We saved a bundle by NOT getting the matching boxspring, (which would have been maybe $400 extra) and got one elsewhere for $100. I do not believe it affects our warranty, nor would I believe it would for many others, given that many beds are not designed to accommodate a boxspring at all, or are only designed to go with one of the "low profile" boxsprings.
That said, I have no experience with returning a mattress under warranty, but my assumption is that it's impossible, given all the other conditions. Everything I looked at had some sort of "inches of sag" requirement that I cannot fathom ever being met, short of parking my car on it for a couple days. Even horribly-broken in mattresses don't sag multiple inches when no one is on them, and it's the increased give when weight is applied that is the actual defect.
If you have an Ikea near you, they have excellent mattresses (no assembly required!). They are also very economical, but make sure you test one out first!
We also bought our mattress from IKEA. (In fact, we have an IKEA mattress on our bed and on our guest bed too.) I can't for the life of me remember which styles we purchased, but I was very pleased with the range of prices and styles offered. Plus by shopping at IKEA we were able to lay on the sample beds as long as we wanted and we didn't have to deal with any bed salesmen either. (Avoiding bed salesmen isn't as important as trying out the beds, of course, but it sure was nice to be able to make a decision without someone hovering near us!)
I recently did some shopping around for mattresses, and I found that I really hate the "used car"-type sales people at stores dedicated to only mattresses. I really hate haggling and readily admit that I am no good at it. I ended up buying from Sears, they had a nice area with sample models that you could lie on, non-invasive salespeople, clearly posted prices that are lower than most other places (lower if there is a sale on), and they deliver (mine was free, part of the special), and cart away your old bed. They didn't have a huge selection, but I am not a really fussy person when it comes to beds. I think I will buy any future beds there too. I don't work for Sears, and don't usually even shop there.
I pretty much disagree with all the advice listed. My biggest concern was with getting a mattress that had toxic fire retardents (like bromide). Do some research on the fire retardents, they're nasty stuff, linked to breast cancer and a bunch of other fun things. They are in any common mattress, you have to go out of your way to find natural materials like wool, latex, memory foam, etc, that won't have it.
We went with Savvy Rest, a natural latex bed. It was $1800 for a full sized, but it is supposed to last about 30 years. No toxic fire retardents required.
In most cases you can't test the Savvy Rests (we are lucky to have a local distributor) but you won't find any complaints about them. I absolutely love ours.
For toxic free lower cost, I agree with the IKEA latex. Latex feels a little funny at first (like not firm enough), but again, you won't ever hear complaints.
Do some research on the fire retardents before buying.
Although you can often return a mattress if you don't like it, it's a hassle. I was considering a Tempur-Pedic a few years ago and discovered that some friends had one. A few weeks later, they were away for a weekend, and invited me to spend the night at their place and try out the mattress. I'm glad I did because I didn't like it much! So, try "sleeping around" and see if you can find the perfect mattress that way.
Wow – didn't expect my comment to be mentioned in your latest post – blinked a couple of times lol. I'm a "she" by the way, but no worries – no way to tell
I am a big fan of COSTCO, but don't know a lot about their mattresses. I would go for it if you know that it's returnable for a 100% refund. They have some great discounts. Usually 2 weeks is a good enough time frame to judge whether a bed is working for you or not. Sometimes it takes a while for your back to adjust to a new bed. Look for stores with a good return or exchange policy (look for terms like "sleep satisfaction guarantee").
Yes, the big manufacturers have a lot of mattresses that are similar in different stores, but under different names (the Serta "Panda" at one store was the same as the "Gold 4000″ I bought a few years back, for example). This is where going to a lot of different stores comes in handy.
You'll notice a lot of beds with memory foam and latex foam, and some beds that are advertised as such (the top few inches are memory or latex foam vs. being built into a pillowtop). If you're a hot sleeper, I would NOT recommend buying a bed that is labeled as latex or memory foam. They REALLY absorb & radiate heat. If these materials are built into the pillowtop then that is a different story, and they do tend to help with comfort (my bed has a half inch of memory foam built into the pillowtop).
Oh, and don't be afraid to get a soft bed. They're all built with back support in mind. My bed is one of the softer ones that was on the market at the time and I still love, love, love it.
As far as the beds being no flip, that's because a lot of them have pillowtops that are 10″ thick and it would not make sense to have a mattress that is even thicker with that on both sides (you'll need to buy deep pocket sheets for most mattresses on the market today as it is). Rotate the mattress head to toe every 6 months and you will be fine. Some settling of "comfort" layers is normal.
I don't know if you can see my email (comments requires it), but if you can, feel free to send me a message if you have any more Qs.
When shopping for a bed, spend at least 15 minutes laying on it before deciding. If it stays comfortable for that long it should fit your needs. Falling asleep, as Mark did, would cinch the sale for me.
I highly recommend looking into a "hotel bed." These beds are designed specifically for individual hotel chains. You buy a new bed, it is not a used bed. My wife and I purchased the W Hotel bed. We love it!
Check out the dealnews.com link for a 40% off coupon. We used it to purchase our bed and all of our bedding.
I love my matteress from the Denver Mattress Company. The think what sold us was their price and construction. The had actual leading brand mattress cut aways on the wall and you got to compare the construction to the ones made by the Denver Mattress. For the price, they had more springs, and material than the other name brands. They are at the furniture rows in WA and OR too.
Haha ok thanks J.D.
My wife and I LOVED The Original Mattress Factory. Much like #28, they had cut outs of the competition and of their own beds and they took the time to explain why their beds were better. And there was no pressure at all.
We shopped at a few "normal" mattress stores and it felt a lot like buying a used car from the shadiest people in town. They make it hard to comparison shop because "Everything is on sale" (but, only through the weekend and the one you're interested in is the last one they have in stock.)
Try a ComforPedic mattress. We bought one a few years ago after laying on all kinds of mattresses including memory foam and latex. This bed uses a combination of the two to provide good comfortable support that's not too hot and is available in several firmness levels. We absolutely love the mattress. We bought from Mattress World since we like the idea of supporting their local ownership. They also seem to be pretty active in various charity activities, which I think is nice. We did haggle a bunch, but the sales people were kind about it.
A couple of years ago it was time for a new mattress. My better ½ and I had some out of town trips and stayed in a few hotels. At one point we stayed at a Marriott in Nashville. The bed was UNBELIEVABLE. So much so we took off the sheets to find out who made it. Jamison from North Carolina…very pricey…. I saved up and now have this incredible bed. It just sucks you in and puts you to sleep…just what a bed should do!
I worked for a furniture liquidator in high school and one item we always sold out of as soon as we got them in were mattresses. We would pick up slightly used mattresses from hotels (a lot of better chains replace their mattresses every three years), clean them and resell them for under $150 per set.
There are some pretty strict laws about how these mattresses must be cleaned, making them a perfectly safe option. I slept on a used mattress for several years. It was great — high quality, comfortable and cost me almost nothing.
If you do shop from a furniture liquidator, it's a bit luck of the draw on exactly what they'll have in stock — but if you're looking for something specific, you can usually convince them to call you if they get it in.
The boxspring supports the mattress. If you don't use it, the coil alignment in the mattress will be screwed up eventually. VERY IMPORTANT to use unless you have a platform bed (pretty much a slab of wood vs. the 5 or so slats beds usually come with).
I would say look for a place that builds their own mattresses. In a couple of states, there is a place called Original Mattress Factory that made a bed that I still use occasionally and have used for longer than 10 or 15 years. When I switched to a bigger bed, I bought one from there, and the salesmen were not pushy in the least, and the prices were reasonable. I would highly suggest it.
A while ago I found the following website very helpful in explaining what's going on when you buy a mattress:
There are lots of ads at this site, but I found the information useful.
I just recently (2 days ago) pricematched an online distributor cymax.com at Sleep Country USA, and saved 50% off of their advertised retail on a Simmon's World Class Plush Pillowtop "Madrid". I was shocked at how willing they were to pricematch. The online store had free delivery, no tax, and Sleep Country also hauled away the old bed. The "retail" price is a joke! I only now wonder if I could have gotten even 60-75% off the retail price. I do love my new mattress, and feel like I got a great deal.
With Costco's liberal return policy, I think you can test out beds and then return them if they don't give you a good night's sleep. They'll also have a larger selection online. We got our memory foam mattress online and love it.
Just got a 1 inch latex topper for our 2 year old Cal King. The springs in a bed will hold up pretty good, but the foam and padding will eventually compress. Our bed was getting lumpy (initially mistaken for spring sagging) in our spots and the topper has made a world of difference.
So I'd say get a nice firm bed without a ton of padding and then add your own comfort layers. I like the feel of latex (little bit of spring) compared to memory foam.
Hi J.D.,
Definitely NOT bad form to test one out in a store and then buy at Costco! We tested a bunch out at a mattress store and we both really liked the Tempurpedic Celebrity. But 5 grand + tax for a mattress?! NO THANKS!
We ended up purchasing online from Healthy Foundations. We ordered their 13″ mattress and it was delivered in the mail. We LOVE it! And best of all, it was only $2079 shipped (no tax) instead of over $5000. They have a 1-year return policy in case you don't like it, but if you like Tempurpedic, it's a safe bet you'll like this one as well.
I was really glad to get rid of our 8-year-old mattress. I've heard Costco has good memory foam mattresses, too. Just buy from someplace that has a good return policy and don't be afraid to return it if it doesn't work out.
And whatever you do, don't buy a Tempurpedic!
do you still like your healthy foundations mattress? Any problems?
@ebyt wrote: "If you're a hot sleeper, I would NOT recommend buying a bed that is labeled as latex or memory foam. They REALLY absorb & radiate heat."
I think this used to be true, and it was a concern for us since we live in a warm climate. The Healthy Foundations 13″ mattress has something called a "CoolMax" layer on top that's supposed to prevent this. It sounded like marketing BS to me, but with a 1-year guarantee I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out.
I have no complaints…you can sleep directly on it and not feel warm like some of the older memory foam mattresses and pads! Pretty cool stuff (no pun intended I think times have changed, especially for the pricier memory foam.
I have a platform bed. I think boxsprings are the hugest ripoff going – AND they're a pain to move (I've moved 9 times in the last 16 years, though the pace is slowing). My parents never had a box spring either, and I met a woman from England who says no one has them over there (I forgot to look for that when I was in the UK this spring).
Let us know what you find out!
The Costco out in Hillsboro has tester mattresses and a much wider selection that most. It's a bit of a drive from SE, but we got ours there and LOVE it. You could look online and if you see any interesting call the store and ask if they have display models. I'm pretty sure they had one example of every model.
We bought our last mattress from Ikea — a midrange inner-spring, and I find it quite comfortable. Since we got a bedframe with lots of slats, no boxspring. Featherbed on top is lovely, too.
We purchased our last bed from the factory showroom in a city about 100 miles away. It was located in a lower-rent district but had an enormous range of beds of all price ranges set up to try out. Sales people were helpful in providing information but not pushy. Even adding the cost of shipping we ended up with a good price. Disposal of the old one was no trouble. The local Habitat for Humanity resale store was happy to pick it up for resale, since it had been well protected and was unstained, even after 30 years of use.
The bed which felt best when lying on it in the store was a low-medium price. We had both slept on a twin size of the same model at a friend's house, and she had a king of that model which she liked.
CAVEAT: We didn't BOTH lie down on the bed in the store at the same time. It was wonderful with one person on it; but with the weight of two bodies, both of us immediately rolled toward the middle–on a brand new bed! We later learned from another buyer that this was also a problem on the queen size with this model, whereas the extra support provided by the center rail of a king frame avoids this issue.
Had we lived in the same town as the manufacturer, we would have traded for a different model. Because of long distance shipping, however, we took a different approach: simply put the 3/4″ plywood board which we'd used on the old bed between mattress and box springs on the new bed. No more rolling to the center. The new mattress is less firm than the 30 year old one we'd been using, and the cushioning on top is an improvement. Also, we find that as we get older it's easier to get up from a higher bed.
Would we purchase from this distance again? Yes, we would certainly consider it if the price difference warranted.
A side benefit is that we were able to replace the mattress on an electric hospital bed at the same time for a very reasonable price, and shipping cost didn't change. This manufacturer supplies mattresses to most of the nursing homes in the state, and the sales rep. was able to guide us in the most appropriate direction for our needs. Since our current use of this bed is more for guests and for occasional use when someone in the family is ill, he recommended that we consider purchasing a standard mattress instead of a hospital bed mattress. He warned that it would not hold up as well under heavy use of the head and foot adjustments, but suggested it would probably be more comfortable as long as it did last. That has certainly been our experience, and we greatly appreciated the guidance in that direction.
And, if you can't afford a new bed for awhile, a 4′ x 8′ 3/4″ plywood sheet between mattress and box springs can revive some pretty bad mattress/box spring sets very inexpensively. Measure your mattress and have the excess cut off when you purchase it. Cut the plywood about 2″ narrower than the mattress.
We bought a memory foam mattress on Overstock and we absolutely love it. No springs required, we don't notice any excess heat (we live in Florida and run the AC very conservatively). We got a king pillow-top firm for about $700. It came UPS in a duffle bag and grew to full size in about an hour after opening.
No more aching shoulders for me and not stiff back for my husband, we'd buy it again in a heartbeat and our only regret is not buying it sooner.
We got a floor model Tempur-Pedic type mattress from Macy's Home a few months ago. It was orginially about $2500 and we paid $700 for it. Because it was a floor model, half of it is firm and half is soft, which is perfect since my husband prefers a firm mattress and I like a soft one. Maybe some people wouldn't like to buy a floor model mattress, but it didn't bother us!
JD – please do post the e-mail if the writer is fine with it. I'm curious about the great tips! I'm not in the mattress market now (being a petite person helps keep the weight load down and less wear on the coils) but I know I'll have to get a new one at some point.