How Much is Too Much Selenium?

Selenium is only needed in very small amounts by the body and it’s naturally found in a variety of foods. The best sources of selenium are Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, molasses, and wheat germ. It’s also found in some meats and seafood as well as mushrooms and nuts. Some vegetables also contain selenium depending upon the soil they were grown in. The upper limit of selenium that’s safe for humans is 400 micrograms per day and some people are supplementing with as much as 200 micrograms in addition to what they get from diet – meaning they may be getting too much selenium.

What Are the Dangers of Too Much Selenium?

If a person takes in too much selenium on a daily basis, levels can gradually build up leading to selenium toxicity or selenosis.  In mild cases, the symptoms of selenosis are mild and include hair and fingernail loss, a garlic odor on the breath, stomach upset, mental changes, skin rash, and tingling in the hands and feet. In more severe cases of selenium toxicity, a person can develop fluid on the lungs, liver failure, and even death. Most of the severe cases of selenium toxicity have come from occupational exposure, but there it’s quite possible to develop selenium toxicity from taking supplements.

Is There Any Reason to Take a Selenium Supplement?

According to current research, you should only take a selenium supplement if you have a documented selenium deficiency. The health benefits of selenium – even for cancer prevention – are still not proven. There may be additional health risks as well. One study showed that taking selenium supplements of 200 micrograms per day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes. Most people get enough from their diet and shouldn’t take the risk of getting too much selenium by taking pills. It’s far less likely that you’ll get selenium toxicity when you get it from foods.

The Bottom Line

If you’re concerned about getting enough selenium in your diet, eat foods that are known to be high in selenium such as Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds. Don’t increase your risk of selenium toxicity by taking selenium supplements. This is another case where natural is better when it comes to nutrition. 

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We know for a fact that plants are beneficial inside and outside the house. Aside from its aesthetic value, plants give us fresh supply of oxygen. There are some plants, however, that can make children and pets ill if accidentally chewed. The plants, left by themselves are not dangerous as long as these are not ingested. The more common variety of houseplants that can be dangerous if taken internally are dieffenbachia, philodendron, pothos, shamrock, and the sap of poinsettia. Dieffenbachia image source

Philodendron image source

Pothos image source

Shamrock image source

Poinsettia image source

Out in the garden, laburnum, daphne, autumn crocus, and the leaves of the rhubarb plant, can be poisonous. When preparing rhubarb stalks, always discard the leaves. They, as well as philodendron, dieffenbachia, and shamrocks contain oxalic acid, which, if ingested, can lead to severe kidney damage. The poinsettia has been overly maligned lately. It is actually not as dangerous as many believe. There is a sap that can be found on broken leaves and stems of the poinsettias, which can cause minor skin irritation, but its effects are relatively mild. For more information on dangerous plants, contact your local poison control center. They have extensive information. It would also help to ask botanists and horticulturists about a plant you intend to acquire or have already acquired in your home.

If you already have these in your house, place these plants out of your children’s or pet’s reach.

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Rumex acetosa is the common sorrel. This perennial grows up to 4 feet (1.2m) tall and spreads to about 18 inches (45cm). It’s easy to see from both the large leaves and reddish coloured flowers that it is related to dock weed. Lime free soil is required for this plant to produce a useful supply of leaves.

Rumex scutatus is the buckler leaf, or french sorrel. This too is a perennial, but is a much more attractive and low growing plant. The maximum height to be expected (at flowering time) is 20 inches (50cm) It will spread for up to 4 feet (1.2m) if not checked, but can easily be controlled by periodically removing stems that stray outside the allotted area and occasionally digging up and dividing the roots. This version of sorrel is more tolerant of alkaline conditions and will cope with full sun. Unless a very large quantity of leaves are required, this is the type I’d recommend.

Image via Wikipedia

Both types of sorrel are easy to grow either from seed sown in situ, or by root divisions from an existing plant. Moist, rich soil will produce the best results. This herb has a strong flavour, so usually just a few plants are sufficient for a family. The leaves are best picked when young and used fresh, but can be frozen if required. In order to pick leaves over an extended period, it is advisable to cut down the flower stalks as they appear.

Sorrel has a distinctive flavour that’s pleasantly sharp and acidic with a strong hint of lemon. The leaves of both Rumex acetosa and Rumex scutatus may be used for culinary purposes. Generally the buckler leaf type is preferably when used raw because the leaves are smaller and attractively shaped.

A sauce made from sorrel, vinegar and sugar crushed together is a good accompaniment to cold rich  meats such as pork and duck. Leaves, chopped if large, can also be added to stuffing for roasted meat or egg dishes. Sorrel will liven up a dull salad and is particularly delicious with cold chicken and in cream cheese sandwiches. Sorrel also makes an unusual, tangy green soup that can be served warm or chilled.

Sorrel is said to reduce fevers and soothe eczema and acne. It is also sometimes used as a laxative. Because sorrel contains oxalic acid (as found in rhubarb) it may not be suitable for those with certain medical conditions such as rheumatism, asthma or kidney diseases. Buckler leaf sorrel is less acidic than the larger leafed type.

If fresh sorrel is rubbed onto a rust mark on cloth or lace before washing, the stain will be much easier to remove.

If you have all apartment application information ready before you enter the leasing office, your application process will go so much smoother. Bring the following with you to prove to your potential new landlords that you’re a worthy, reliable tenant, and pay special attention to the items in bold.

Provide Personal Information

It’s standard procedure to ask for your Social Security number on an apartment application. Apartment managers need it so they can perform a credit check, to ensure you’ll make your rent payments each month. Plus, you’ll need to provide your driver’s license as well as your car’s make, model, year and license plate number, if you have a vehicle that you’ll be parking at the complex.

Prove You Have a Job

Managers at your future home want to make sure you have steady income, so they may ask for employment verification. This is an official letter that will either come from your human resources department or your supervisor, so start by asking your supervisor where to go for one. The apartment complex also might need your past two bank statements and paycheck stubs to verify that you can afford the apartment’s monthly rent.

Show Them the Money

Before you even step foot on any property, you should know how much money the application, deposit(s) and leasing process will cost you. You can receive this information over the phone from the apartment complex before you get there. Chances are, you’ll pay an application fee (usually around $50) and a security deposit that’s usually equal to one month’s rent. The good apartments go fast, so be ready to plunk down the money if you really fall in love with a place.

Give Your Accurate History

Apartment complex managers want to know they’re leasing units to law-abiding, reliable people. For that reason, be prepared to provide the names, addresses and phone numbers of your previous apartment communities, as well as the dates when you lived at each address. If you’ve never rented before, provide personal references from people such as your boss, professors or long-term neighbor.

Divulge Who Your Roommates Are

You have to tell who will be living in the apartment, even if only your name is going on the lease. Provide each tenant’s name, current address and phone number, and they might have to each fill out applications or background checks themselves. Also, to avoid serious fines or a possible eviction, do not forget to mention pets. If your apartment community has a pet policy, you may be responsible for additional deposits.

Do Your Research

Before you apply for an apartment, check your credit report for errors or to access the state of your credit. If you think you may be in trouble, try talking to the apartment manager to see if you can work something out. Together, you may be able to find a solution to secure the apartment of your dreams.

While this is the worst of my disorganized mornings, it is certainly not the exception to the rule. Quite often, this describes the general routine of my mornings, as I am genetically engineered to be a “night person.” Mornings and I just don’t get along, so it’s no surprise that my job performance has suffered.

I came to a startling conclusion one day. Maybe, just maybe, I could plug my preference for evenings into my morning routine, saving myself some lost minutes in the morning.

I had to revamp my morning routine, starting the night before.

Look Great – The Night Before!

You’ve heard this before: Lay your clothes out before you go to bed. If you’re a terrible morning person, one of the most important things you can do is preempt your morning routine by making it a night routine. Lay your clothes out, your hair brushes and other styling tools. If you need makeup, decide on which makeup, then set it out where you usually get ready.

Choose which shoes you’re wearing. If you need any additional accessories, those should go with your clothing, as well. One rule you need to adhere to: Do not change your mind. Morning people are capable of clear, concise decision making as soon as they’re awake. Night people are not. That outfit that looked great last night still looks great today. In fact, you only think it doesn’t because you’re half asleep. Trust yourself and get dressed.

If you find yourself having this conversation far more often than you’d like, another option is to lay out two choices, and then choose between them.

Make sure you know if you’ll be showering in the morning. That will add a minimum of 20-25 minutes into your routine. Decide, and stick to it. At this time, you should also apply a time budget to your hairstyle. I have short, curly hair that tends to frizz, so I set aside about 45 minutes. For straight or manageably wavy hair, plan on 20-30 minutes.

By now, you’re dressed, styled and have makeup on.

The Things We Need But Often Forget

Moving on, you arrive in the kitchen. At this point, my routine involves the realization that I forgot to make coffee.

Most of us night people need a regular infusion of coffee in the morning, but it’s often forgotten.  A great way to avoid this hassle is to use a programmable coffee maker that, properly programmed the night before, will turn on and have a cup brewed about halfway through your routine. Hamilton Beach makes a great coffee maker…it’s about six cups, and dispenses into a coffee cup much the same way that a convenience store coffee maker would—with the push of a button.  

Now you’re mostly prepared to leave home, provided you have your purse and keys….and whatever else you needed to take with you.

Another problem that happens quite often is that moment when you realize that you needed to take a few extra items with you that particular morning, but you don’t have them with you.

But, you were savvy and remembered to set those items by the front door. One of the best time savers is a set of sturdy hooks at the front door, aside from the usual coat hooks. Here is where a simple sidekick comes into play: a grocery store plastic bag. It’s a nice, neat convenient way to store all of the things you need to be sure and have with you. This can include lunch items (non-refrigerated), extra office supplies, or other important items.

Another helpful option is to use those same hooks to keep your purse and other personal items on those hooks. Instead of one coat rack, set up a pair of racks so that each person has two hooks: one for coats, and one for additional items.

If there are any other things to grab, such as refrigerated lunch items, remind yourself with a brightly colored memo note attached to the bag. Hang your keys on the same hook.

Divide and Conquer

Because I am chronically late, I’ve learned to divide my morning up into sections. I wake up at a certain time via alarm. I have two other alarms that remind me of certain times. With these reminders, I’m able to divide my morning up into segments, which lets me know when I should have completed certain parts of my routine.

At this point, you’re ready to leave for the day–ready to greet the day in a way that others will envy, without the hassle of a morning’s stressful and hurried disorganization!

First, what does it take to be licensed? My company holds a Class A Building Contractor’s License which involves yearly renewal, insurance, education, reputation, paying into a statewide recovery fund (consumer safety net), etc. – a variety of different hoops we jump through that help ensure accountability and ultimately say “this organization can be trusted to perform work.” Not having a license is evidence of the opposite. The process for obtaining a license requires paperwork (of course), registered training, a fee of around $300 – all of the things you would expect. It’s not prohibitive. So, why would someone perform construction work without a license?

The excuses you’ll hear are “I can’t afford the license” or “I’m working under someone else’s license” or “I’m licensed in another state.” All of these practices are illegal. In fact, according to the City of Minneapolis website, it is illegal to knowingly enter into a contract with an unlicensed contractor in many situations including, roofing, remodeling and nearly all residential construction. It’s a misdemeanor for both consumer and unlicensed contractor.

In many instances, a contractor without a license doesn’t have one because it was revoked due to unresolved workmanship errors. The typical scenario is that work was not performed as contracted, a complaint was filed with the Department of Labor, the situation was unresolved after an official request from the DOL and finally, the license was revoked. Some contractors think the state has no business regulating this contract between the consumer and the contractor and that it upsets a free market.  However, most understand that it’s a way for consumers to tell everyone else, “Hey! Here’s what happened to me. Watch out!”

So, what can you do if you need recourse from your unlicensed contractor? Not much. There’s no license to be revoked. There’s likely no insurance to go after for restitution. If you file a complaint against the company, the company will probably change its name and continue on. Even if you prove to a civil court that your unlicensed roofer has inadvertently created an indoor waterfall rolling down your sheetrock and judgment is legally applied to the contractor…what’s he going to pay with? There are no assets listed under a fictitious company. Homeowners can lose thousands – in an HOA, the cost can be astronomical. Steve Arrell II, owner of New Exteriors by SMA in Maple Grove, Minnesota adds, “Verification of credentials gives the consumer a safeguard for their biggest investment. It just makes good sense.”

Avoiding unlicensed contractors:

• Check with your state’s Department of Labor. They’ve got a comprehensive contractor search on their website as well as tips for hiring.
• Ask for references. You may be able to visit previous projects to get a look at a finished job.
• Check the contractor’s litigation history on your state’s court system website

Contractor licensing helps ensure proper installation and acts as a safeguard. You’re accountable to your HOA, make sure your contractor is accountable to you by being properly outfitted.

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Many readers just raised a mental eyebrow and thought “the audience is the most important”.

Of course, they’re not wrong. If the audience doesn’t buy tickets to your concert, you don’t really need your baton. But, once the audience is seated, you are in charge. You’re the conductor rather than the audience, because it was you who spent the last ten years of nights, weekends and holidays practicing chords. When the strings needed a second cellist, you searched and searched and re-searched until you found the perfect fit. It was you and not the audience that dropped 50k at Juilliard. The audience chose to see you because you are the expert. So it is with property management.

From a customer service stand point, this sort of flies in the face of “the customer is always right”.  It’s meant to. When Harry Selfridge coined that phrase in his 1909 London department store, he wasn’t in your shoes – trying to figure out how to get rid of the carpenter ants chewing on the rafter tails while two homeowners are standing behind you insisting on their grandmother’s homemade insecticide recipe (grape juice, red pepper and gasoline NEVER belong in the same spray bottle). “The customer is always right” speaks to an end result and the manner in which you deal with the customer. It’s okay to say “I’ve been conducting this orchestra a long time, Mrs. Smith. I think it’s best if we give the exterminator a shot at those ants.”

Businesses like airlines and IT services that deal with upset customers on a frequent basis are constantly working on the most effective way to let the customer know they’re not always right. Property management isn’t normally stricken with this same frequency, but some of the same ideas may help your overall product. With reference to business consultant Alexander Kjerulf, here are a few reasons why “the customer is always right” is wrong and, a little dangerous:

1)     It makes employees unhappy

      Some customers will be unreasonable, irrational and unwilling to be reeled in no matter what the extent of your attention. If an employee believes you won’t support them when a customer is out of line, the employee finds resentment and becomes less effective.

2)     It gives abrasive customers an unfair advantage

“The customer is always right” is most often quoted by the most abrasive customer. They feel they have carte blanche because of their status and “there will be consequences” if their blanche isn’t carted.  Rewarding this bad behavior with automatic submission leads to more bad behavior. Second, the longer you attend to the one or two abrasive customers, the longer your attention is diverted from the great majority that are pleasant and genuinely interested in working toward common goals.

3)     It results in worse customer service

If you automatically side with unruly customers, employees:

• lose loyalty
• lose confidence
• lose respect for other customers as they label all customers as “irrational”

When employees know they can count on you to make a fair call in the midst of customer irrationality, they:

• gain loyalty
• care more about other customers
• are motivated

4)     Some customers are just plain wrong

This is why you’re the conductor and they are the audience. With most upset customers, you will probably do everything you can to appease them (as you should) before making a stand. With a wrong customer, you don’t have a choice but to do the right thing. The conductor knows which cymbals provide proper echo, just as you know very well not to spray the gasoline-based insecticide on the rafter tails. You may take the audience’s requests, but you arrange according to your expertise. There may be some pride involved when a customer suggests a different kind of cymbal/insecticide, but ultimately, they just want the song to sound good/ants gone. Later, they may complain to another audience member that their cymbal suggestion would have made the sound even grander, but they’ll be telling it to another audience member that loved your concert.

In a recent poll conducted by customer service expert Kevin Stirtz, customers were asked “What do customers really want?” The answers were as you can imagine. Here are some of them ranked:

1)     Listen to me

Most customers have a legitimate reason for coming to you. Even if it’s not legitimate, your attention may be enough.

2)   Blank for now (read on)

3)     Give me what I came for

They’re less interested in “how” you get it, just so you’ve got it.

4)     Show me you care

In the customer’s eyes, anyone can do what you do to some degree. It’s your passion that sets you apart.

5)     Be honest

The customer knows quality costs more. Tell them the truth and let them weigh the consequences.

6)     Offer alternatives if I can’t get what I want

If red fescue won’t grow in your area to match Mrs. Mandery’s landscaping, maybe you can get something comparable.

7)     Do what you say

Trust is crucial and though you may not think so, the customer is absolutely paying attention.

8)     Keep me informed

Even if they don’t actually read the newsletter detailing the new 40-year shingles, they’ll at least have peace-of-mind that you’re on top of it.

I purposely left the #2 answer to “what do customers really want?” blank. It’s the most pertinent and rather striking in its honesty.

The second most common request is: “Know more than I do.”

This humble request from your customer speaks volumes. It says “I want to trust you”, “I can have faith in your abilities” and “I will agree with you (even when we disagree) because of your expertise.”

#2 says “I know something about how the orchestra should sound. Please make it sound that way.” The customer is saying “I’m not always right. That’s why you’re here.”

Much of this article speaks of irrational customers and extraordinary circumstances. We know those are the minority yet they tend to command the lions share of our attention. The essence is that you’ve worked hard to become an expert and need to have faith in your property management abilities. Putting together your ensemble of snow removers, pool cleaners and window installers has taken dedication and time – much more than your audience has committed. They’ve been busy being expert store managers, expert teachers and expert truck drivers. At the end of their day they want to come home to beautiful music…conducted by you.

Why is an Organic Preservative Needed?

Synthetic, chemical preservatives such as sodium nitrate and nitrite, and EDTA, among others, have raised concerns in terms of their potential health risks. Sodium nitrite, used as a preservative in meats such as packaged bacon and hot dogs, has been closely scrutinized as it’s known to cause cancer in animals and is believed to do the same in humans. Other preservatives have been linked to lung problems and allergic reactions in both humans and animals. The industry argues that these preservatives are present in such low concentrations that the health risks are minimal, but small exposures add up over a lifetime – especially in a society that eats so much processed food.

What’s It Made Of?

The new organic preservative developed in Canada has already received certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s called Biosecur and is made from the seeds, peels, and pulp of organic citrus fruits. Not only does it work quickly to destroy bacteria, molds, and yeast that can infect food, it also controls odors and preserves color – all without the use of synthetic chemicals. This natural organic preservative contains citrus bioflavonoids, compounds that have antioxidant activity which may further increase its desirability from a health standpoint. Biosecur is being marketed as a greener, more environmentally safe preservative and the developers hope it can be used not only for preserving foods, but also as a natural preservative in medical and personal care products.

When Will This Organic Preservative Be Available?

Unfortunately, no one when knows this new organic preservative will be added to products in the United States. It will take time for manufacturers to reformulate their offerings to accommodate this new preservative.  The developers of Biosecur believe it could also be used to replace some of the harmful chemicals that are currently used in the production of food. Hopefully, manufacturers will jump on board quickly so that synthetic preservatives can be gradually phased out of processed foods – for the health of all Americans.