Choosing a water-saving showerhead
Q: I have an older shower, and now it’s time to install a new head. Keeping up with wanting to save water, I plan to install a new water-saving model. Do you have any plumber tips for what to look for when choosing a new high-efficiency head?
A: I’ve worked at many building shows talking about showerheads, and I also educate homeowners on the importance of saving water. Even though most people want to save water, many still ask me about high-efficiency showerhead performance, so I do have a few tips to share.
First, look for a quality showerhead with a larger spray face so it feels like water is covering more body area.
Next, see if the nozzles are easy to clean. Some flexible rubbertype spray nozzles can be cleaned easily with a flip of your thumb or fingernail.
Finally, many high-efficiency showerheads may even use air-induction technology. Air-induction basically mixes air into the water spray to heighten the shower’s sensory experience.
Bottom line: Showering with a new highly efficient showerhead can also be highly enjoyable.
Q: How can you come across as personable during a job interview on the phone during the pandemic?
A: Simple — stay upbeat and positive. Likewise, be empathetic and take a genuine interest in others. Ask how your interviewers are doing, let them know that you hope they are staying safe and busy, and inquire as to what’s new and happening at their firm.
Times are challenging for everyone, but it’s important to remember: While change and disruption can be scary for many, they can also prove to be powerful catalysts for growth and innovation. Noting this, it pays to be an optimist and relentlessly practical here — after all, interviewers are always on the lookout for clever problem-solvers and go-getters who can find ways to turn lemons into lemonade.
A can-do attitude and honest concern for others will take you far, as will finding common topics of interest or shared experiences to build kinship. For example, millions of us have been on an “extended vacation” working from home since last March, just as millions of working parents know what it’s like to try to get through a workday while constantly being interrupted by pets and children.
The more upbeat you are, the more relatable you are. And the more you can reinforce that you’ve been using time spent away from the office to learn new skills, engage in professional development or pursue new projects, the more approachable and resilient you’ll appear.
Right now, given the limits on foreign travel, domestic road trips are more popular than ever. If you plan to rent your road trip car, however, be on the lookout for the several perennial gotchas the rental companies throw at you to extract a few more of your dollars than necessary. Fortunately, you can avoid them knowing the gotchas before you put down your credit card.
1. Insurance has always been the main money pit of renting a car. Rental agents try to get you to buy some you already have, some you can buy elsewhere at a lower price, and some you don’t need at all.
Collision insurance covers damage to, or loss of, the car you rent. Clearly, when you drive someone else’s vehicle worth up to $50,000, you need to insure yourself if it is damaged when in your possession. Rental companies try to sell you a waiver (CDW) that eliminates your risk but roughly doubles the daily cost of the rental. Your own auto insurance may cover you in a rented car, at least in the U.S.; your credit card may cover what your regular insurance doesn’t — most travel-oriented cards do — or you can buy separate coverage from a thirdparty source for about one-third of what the rental company asks. But there’s one big change this year: Most cards issued by Citi no longer include rental car coverage.
Liability insurance covers you for any damage you may do to other people or property. But you need liability coverage whenever you drive any car, rental or otherwise, and it’s likely your own automobile, homeowner, umbrella or other policy already covers you, so you don’t need extra. But if it doesn’t, then you have to pay.
Personal Accident and personal property are the same as liability: If you need it, you need it all the time, not just when renting a car.
2. Gasoline charges can be a gouge. The best rental contracts start you with a full tank, and if you return the car full, you do not face a refueling charge — so long as you refuel near the return office spot and get a receipt. If you let the rental company refuel, it will hit you with a gouge price. And if you “buy” a full tank when you rent, you donate what you leave in the tank to the rental company — probably not your favorite charity. Another gouge: Some rental companies charge a flat rate for shortterm rentals where you drive only a few miles — a rate that’s much higher than what you’d pay for just the gas you used.
3. Going off-contract is potentially a major gotcha. Most rental contracts say you can’t drive on unpaved roads, let anyone else drive who hasn’t signed on — and maybe paid — as an extra driver, drive recklessly or drive outside a contractually limited region. Although rental companies may never know if you go off-contract, if you do — and the rental company finds out — you’re in big trouble: Your insurance becomes void and your rental cost may revert to a very high daily rate plus a stiff per-mile charge. And rental companies know more than you think: Most rental cars have GPS, and even if you don’t use or pay for it, rental companies can track the vehicle.
4. Minor gouges are mostly avoidable by selecting the right rental company. A few, typically small, rental companies still limit the geographic region where you can take the car, and a few still impose mileage charges or daily mileage limits. If either poses a problem, you can avoid the gouge by renting from a different company.
5. Avoiding the gotchas is easy:
Get the collision coverage you need through your own regular insurance, credit card or thirdparty policy; don’t rent on a contract that limits where you can drive; refuel before you return; avoid off-contract driving; and if you want someone else to share the driving, find a rental with no extra-driver charge.
Travelers who refuse to wear a mask in airports, bus stations and rail stations, as well as while aboard planes, buses and trains, can face a fine of $250 for the first offense and up to $1,500 for repeat offenses under President Joe Biden’s executive order on COVID-19 safety.
The Transportation Security Administration clarified that its agents will enforce the new fine and that flight attendants, bus operators and other transportation employees have the authority to report violators to the agency. The TSA said its agents have the option of imposing a lower or even higher fine if there are substantial mitigating or aggravating factors.
The fine is the result of an executive order signed by Biden on Jan. 23 to require masks be worn in compliance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Under the guidelines, masks must completely cover the wearer’s nose and mouth, fit snugly against the side of the face and lack any slits, holes or exhalation valves.
Most airlines began to require that passengers wear face coverings starting in May, but the Trump administration refused to adopt a federal regulation that would impose a fine on violators.
Instead, airlines enforced the mask policy by banning violators from flying in the future. The nation’s largest carriers have so far banned from flying more than 3,000 passengers who violated the mask policy, according to travel site The Points Guy.
The federal mask rules “will help prevent further spread of COVID-19 and encourage a unified government response,” said Darby LaJoye, the senior official performing the duties of the TSA administrator.