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Have you ever looked at something made of plastic and wondered how it was made? It’s obviously not a metal, wood or plant based derivative. To the educated person, it could be assumed that it’s made by a chemical process, but not much more about it is as easily surmised. Clearly, acrylic thermoplastics have some very interesting characteristics and properties. Of course, they are well known for their crystal clarity and outstanding weatherability. But did you also know they are available in cast sheet, rod, and tube, extruded sheet and film, and compounds for injection molding and extrusion? Acrylic can be used to manufacture brochure holders, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays among other products.

Below are some general properties of acrylic sheet:

Strong and resists weathering

Flexible when compared with glass Less breakable than glass Abrasion resistant

Can withstand sunlight for long durations Resistant to most chemicals and industrial fumes

Can transmit or filter ultraviolet light

Can be cleaned easily

Can be cut by various methods

Corrosion resistant

Good insulator.

Other general properties include the ability to transmit and control light. They are also stable against discoloration, and have superior dimensional stability, as you would notice if you have an acrylic brochure display, counter display, donation / suggestion box or point of purchase (p.o.p) display. Possessing an excellent combination of structural and thermal properties, clear acrylic plastic is as transparent as the finest optical glass:

Possess a light transmittance of 92%

Low haze level of approximately 1%

Index of refraction of 1.49

It also has the ability to be injected with color, producing a full spectrum of transparent, translucent, or opaque colors depending on your needs. This process does no harm in terms of long-term durability; colored acrylics can be used outdoors for a long time. Why? They are formulated to filter ultraviolet energy in the 360-nm and lower band. Other acrylic formulations are opaque to UV light or provide reduced UV transmission.

And how about mechanical properties? Although not known for having many, acrylics can be used for short-term loading. If the intended use is long-term, stresses must be limited to 1,500 psi to avoid surface cracking and deterioration.

Acrylic does well in the cold, as the impact resistance of standard formulations is maintained in these conditions. It should be noted that high-impact acrylic grades have greater impact strength than standard grades at room temperature, but impact strength decreases as temperature drops. Some types of acrylic are even known to resist bullets!

Acrylic plastics are highly scratch resistant, especially among other thermoplastics. It’s a good idea, however, to ensure proper maintenance and cleaning. Keep in mind that abrasion-resistant acrylic sheet is available and has the same optical and impact properties as standard grades. You will see this in many of our brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays.

This brings up a good point - its versatility and adaptability. Are you aware that Jet-aircraft cabin windows are made from acrylic sheet? They do this by inducing molecular orientation during forming. This proves the potential strength of acrylic sheet. How do they react to other chemicals and compounds? Acrylic sheet and moldings resist solutions of inorganic acids and alkalies and aliphatic hydrocarbons such as VM&P naphtha, as well as most detergent solutions and cleaning agents. They are attacked by chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, and ketones.

Have you ever looked at something made of plastic and wondered how it was made? It’s obviously not a metal, wood or plant based derivative. To the educated person, it could be assumed that it’s made by a chemical process, but not much more about it is as easily surmised. Clearly, acrylic thermoplastics have some very interesting characteristics and properties. Of course, they are well known for their crystal clarity and outstanding weatherability. But did you also know they are available in cast sheet, rod, and tube, extruded sheet and film, and compounds for injection molding and extrusion? Acrylic can be used to manufacture brochure holders, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays among other products.

Below are some general properties of acrylic sheet:

Strong and resists weathering

Flexible when compared with glass Less breakable than glass Abrasion resistant

Can withstand sunlight for long durations Resistant to most chemicals and industrial fumes

Can transmit or filter ultraviolet light

Can be cleaned easily

Can be cut by various methods

Corrosion resistant

Good insulator.

Other general properties include the ability to transmit and control light. They are also stable against discoloration, and have superior dimensional stability, as you would notice if you have an acrylic brochure display, counter display, donation / suggestion box or point of purchase (p.o.p) display. Possessing an excellent combination of structural and thermal properties, clear acrylic plastic is as transparent as the finest optical glass:

Possess a light transmittance of 92%

Low haze level of approximately 1%

Index of refraction of 1.49

It also has the ability to be injected with color, producing a full spectrum of transparent, translucent, or opaque colors depending on your needs. This process does no harm in terms of long-term durability; colored acrylics can be used outdoors for a long time. Why? They are formulated to filter ultraviolet energy in the 360-nm and lower band. Other acrylic formulations are opaque to UV light or provide reduced UV transmission.

And how about mechanical properties? Although not known for having many, acrylics can be used for short-term loading. If the intended use is long-term, stresses must be limited to 1,500 psi to avoid surface cracking and deterioration.

Acrylic does well in the cold, as the impact resistance of standard formulations is maintained in these conditions. It should be noted that high-impact acrylic grades have greater impact strength than standard grades at room temperature, but impact strength decreases as temperature drops. Some types of acrylic are even known to resist bullets!

Acrylic plastics are highly scratch resistant, especially among other thermoplastics. It’s a good idea, however, to ensure proper maintenance and cleaning. Keep in mind that abrasion-resistant acrylic sheet is available and has the same optical and impact properties as standard grades. You will see this in many of our brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays.

This brings up a good point - its versatility and adaptability. Are you aware that Jet-aircraft cabin windows are made from acrylic sheet? They do this by inducing molecular orientation during forming. This proves the potential strength of acrylic sheet. How do they react to other chemicals and compounds? Acrylic sheet and moldings resist solutions of inorganic acids and alkalies and aliphatic hydrocarbons such as VM&P naphtha, as well as most detergent solutions and cleaning agents. They are attacked by chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, and ketones.

As anyone who has done it knows, moving is no simple task. It’s costly, time-consuming, exhausting, and all around not fun. Moving can easily turn into a disaster, but there are ways to avoid it. Here are some tips to prevent common moving pitfalls and make your transition into a new home as painless as possible.

Lack of money.

Whether or not you hire movers, you will spend money when you move. There are things such as truck rentals, shipping costs, tape and moving boxes, time off from work, gas expenses and sometimes even plane tickets. Begin planning well in advance, and budget extra money for emergency expenses. You never know what problems might sneak up on you. Be prepared. You also might want to check your homeowners or renters insurance to see if your belongings are covered while in transit. If you are hiring movers, get several quotes so you know you’re getting a good price.

Lack of time. Certain times of the year are busy moving times. Professional moving companies can get booked up, so book in advance to be sure that your moving needs will be accommodated. Before moving day comes, plan your time out and know how long you will spend doing particular tasks. If you’re counting on moving everything in one day, be sure that it is a realistic timeframe. Some professional movers will pack your stuff into moving boxes for an additional fee if you’re particularly rushed.

Having too much stuff. You might be attached to your cinderblock collection, but do you really need it? As a rule, try to sell or give away things you haven’t used in the previous 12 months. The less things you have, the easier and more streamlined your move will be. If you need to put things in storage, make sure they are in stackable, sealed boxes to keep dust and rodents away.

Measurement Issues. Uh oh. The fridge is too big to fit in the front door. Measure any large object or appliance, and be absolutely sure it will fit through doorways and into its final resting place. It would be a shame to haul your brand new Frigidaire from Tallahassee to Walla Walla, only to find it doesn’t fit in your new kitchen.

Get Good Directions. If you’re moving to a new, unfamiliar location, meticulously map everything out and have multiple copies of your directions. Driving an over-sized rental truck is stressful enough on its own, and doing it in an unfamiliar city is sure to add even more stress. Driving the truck in an unfamiliar city with bad directions be akin to a disaster. Check and double-check your directions. If you use an online navigational tool such as Mapquest, check the directions against a map, and keep an atlas with you at all times.

Make Sure You Eat. It sounds obvious, but people often forget to take care of their needs when they move. You won’t have access to a refrigerator full of food while you move, so plan ahead and pack sandwiches or budget money for restaurant food. After full days of hauling your belongings, you’ll be ravenous.

Moves can be very emotional, unforgettable experiences. If you have children, have fun by taking pictures and videos of the move. They’ll feel like a part of the experience, and you’ll have great memories for years to come.

You’ve been slapped with a bad credit rating. Is it the end of the world? Not at all.

People get bad credit ratings for several reasons. A lot of the time, it’s not your fault. One way this can happen is that you might get a bad credit rating just because someone at the credit bureau entered someone else’s inaccurate data by mistake. And if, for example, you have a very common name, it’s likely that you have these types of errors in your report. For example, if someone sharing your name defaulted on a loan, filed for bankruptcy, or had some other type of financial hardship, that person’s information could have gotten into your credit report by mistake and needs to be taken out. Other situations that do actually apply to you may include if you’ve recently moved and a credit card bill has gotten lost in the mail so that you forgot it. These types of mistakes can be expensive, of course, but they’re still honest mistakes. And if they only happen occasionally, they should not adversely affect your credit report.

If you have a bad credit rating, this does not mean that your reputation or access to financial services is damaged forever. Indeed, you can fix this situation almost immediately, but you have to do some work to do that. However, if you are consistently behind on financial payments, or have other financial struggles that are “permanent,” this is not a quick fix situation and credit counseling may be the best bet for you.

In fact, bad credit is so common that the US Trustee Program of the Department Of Justice has approved use of credit counseling agencies so that these agencies can assist people who have credit difficulties. Their web site is at: www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/cc_approved.htm. There, you can find a list of credit counseling agencies available in your area, along with contact information, so that you can find the proper assistance.

Why Does Bad Credit Exist? In many cases, of course, the reasons you have bad credit are completely under your control. Among them are compulsive shopping, overspending, living beyond your means, et cetera. However, in many cases, you cannot control the reasons bad credit have happened to you, such as when personnel at the credit bureaus incorrectly enter your personal information. If you correct errors made in these types of situations, your credit rating will be restored quite easily and quickly.

Of course, other reasons you have bad credit include being laid off from your job, which is becoming increasingly common in today’s job environment. This in turn will affect how and when you can pay your bills, so if you’ve been responsible previously, suddenly having substantially reduced or no income can greatly affect just how responsible you can be with your bills.

A second reason this type of difficulty may occur is if you are facing foreclosure on your home. Even if you have a steady job, you can still face the situation. Many people bought overpriced homes in the previously inflated real estate market, and did so through lenders who were willing to cut corners to help them buy homes they really could not afford. Many of these homes also came with such substandard elements as adjustable-rate mortgages, which is where the rate starts out at a reasonable level that the homeowner can easily afford. However, then rates can suddenly spike with no warning, wherein the payment increases by several hundred to even a thousand or more dollars a month. In these cases, often foreclosure was the only way out of such a situation, which in turn affects the homeowner’s situation.

Yet another situation you might find yourself facing is divorce, which can also adversely affect your credit rating. In fact, many credit counselors say that this is a very common reason to suddenly have a bad credit rating when it’s previously been good. In divorces, of course, assets must be divided between former spouses. In addition, there are often alimony and/or child support payments to make as well. Therefore, income that previously was entirely adequate suddenly isn’t enough.

Yet another reason for bad credit is failing health or suddenly facing substantial medical expenses that you cannot avoid and yet cannot afford. In these days of substandard or no medical insurance, many, many individuals find themselves facing serious to life-threatening illnesses and must either face lasting consequences or even death without treatment, or use medical treatment that they may not be able to pay for.

Finally, the one situation that many Americans find themselves in that can be avoided is simply overstretching their own spending means by “borrowing” money from credit cards for frivolous or over-consumptive shopping. In today’s “plastic” society, many people have 1, 2, 3, 4 or more credit cards and have each maxed to the limit, so that even minimum payments are difficult to come by on their budgets, not to mention full payment of purchases made every month so they are truly living within their means.

Avoiding Bad Credit Here’s the golden rule on bad credit: before making any major purchases, request for a free copy of your credit report from Equifax or Trans Union. When you read something that you believe is false or inaccurate in the report, write a letter immediately and ask for proof or ask that the report be corrected immediately. Whatever you say to the credit bureau should be executed in writing. This is the only way you can show proof that you acted in good faith. Don’t wait for weeks before questioning your credit report.

Here are other ways to avoid bad credit (or better still, how to maintain a healthy credit standing):

Take stock of your financial situation - jot down all sources of your income and how you’re going to spend that income. Create a budget and stick to it. Discipline in spending works in your favor - banks are more predisposed to lending money to individuals who exhibit prudence;

Just say no to frivolous expenses - impulse shopping is a 21st century disease. We shop when we’re feeling low. Exercise instead!

Pay off high interest debt first - paying 17% to 21% interest on unpaid balances is excessive. Pay off your balances on these high-rate credit cards first. We know how difficult it is to make additional payments on minimum payments, but if you can do so, you pay off the entire balances sooner.

Finally, make sure you pay your bills on time. Making mortgage, utility, tax and other bill payments on time shows that you are diligent and prudent in your spending practices and this will reflect positively in your credit report. So if you’ve got bad credit, don’t panic. Simply taking some care to pay bills on time and be prudent in your spending, as well as keeping a careful watch on your credit reports from all three bureaus, will bring you back to good standing in very little time.

Why should you pay car insurance? It’s often very expensive, and you’re a safe driver, right? You’re practically giving money away. And for what benefit?

Well, even if you are the world’s safest and most conscientious driver, you absolutely need car insurance. Going without it is irresponsible, dangerous, and it’s against the law. Every province in Canada have laws regarding car insurance, and the punishments for not having it are no joke. You can get an expensive fine, damage your driving record, lose your driver’s license, get your car impounded or even go to jail for driving without insurance. Coupled with another offense like speeding or running a stop-sign, it’s even worse.

But you’re a perfect driver, right? You don’t speed, run stop signs and red lights, park illegally, drive without a seatbelt or make illegal turns. You have nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. Even if your driving is beyond impeccable, you are on the road with other people who might make poor decisions. Maybe they are distracted, intoxicated, over-tired, talking on a cell phone or just plain careless. Maybe they forget to check their rear-view mirrors before changing lanes or they neglect to use their turn signals.

As careful and vigilant you may be, every second you spend behind the wheel you are at the mercy of other drivers. Tens of thousands of automobile accidents happen every day. If you get into something as insignificant as a fender-bender and get caught without insurance, you will find yourself in a very difficult and expensive situation.

Also, insuring your car has never been easier. There are dozens of internet sites devoted to helping you find out what type of insurance is best for you. Many sites will even generate quotes from multiple companies to help you determine which one is best for you. Using the internet, it’s possible to find a good insurance policy and open it in less than an hour.

If you still think car insurance it too expensive, consider this: You can adjust your insurance coverage and drastically lower your monthly payments. You might consider using liability-only insurance. If you get this type of insurance, damages you do to another person’s car in an accident are covered, but your own vehicle is not. If you have an older-low cost car, this might be the best option for you. Or you could consider raising your deductible. Your deductible is the amount of money you would have to pay if you got into an accident. When you increase that amount, you reduce your monthly payments. If you have money saved up and are a safe driver, this is a great option. You could save a lot of money.

Ultimately, the decision to have car insurance is yours. The government can make rules that encourage you to get car insurance, but it cannot make you lift the phone or get on the computer and sign up. If you still think you don’t need auto insurance, think about what would happen to you if you got into an accident. Could you afford to not only lose your car but have to pay for damages to another person’s car as well? Could you afford to pay a stiff fine, lose your driver’s license, your car or spend time in jail? Give yourself peace of mind and get insured. You won’t regret it.