Chappaqua, NY

Yes, it's almost Leap Year again, and this February 2012, we are graced with an extra day - February 29. Sweet - one more day to do whatever you want - whether that is work, play or sleep - you choose.

We are usually graced with this extra day to celebrate approximately once every 4 years...but read on to learn about the origins and calculations and trivia about Leap Years. You'll find, it's not quite as simple as they may have taught us in school.

What is a leap year?

A leap year consists of 366 days, as opposed to a common year, which has 365 days. We account for this by making February 29 days (rather than 28 days).

Why do we have leap year (or a leap day)?

The need for a leap year is help synchronize the calendar with the actual revolution of the earth. A typical year is 365 calendar days while the actual revolution of the earth around the sun is about 365.25 days (actually it's 365.242374 days long to be exact and this amount slightly increases each year).

So, if we left the calendar without a leap day, the time of year/seasons would eventually be off and the official start of spring or the spring equinox (when the there is equal amount of lightness and darkness) would start coming earlier and earlier in the year. Over a 100 year time period, that would translate to our calendar shifting by 24 days vs. the seasons we are accustomed to.

So, instead, every 4 years, we add an extra day - a Leap day - to help get the calendar in synch w/ the actual motion of the earth.

Now, remember how I mentioned that an actual physical year is 365.242374 days? Well, 365.24374 is slightly lower than 365.25, so if we continued the simple process of just adding 1 day...eventually, we would jump ahead. So, to counteract that, the official rule is that we have a leap year every 4 years (years divisible by 4) such as 2012 2016, 2020, etc UNLESS that number is also divisible by 100 (such at 1700, 1800 or 1900) and EXCEPT if that number is divisible by 400 (such as 2000, 2400).

Therefore, in a duration of two millennia (or 2000 years, there will be 485 leap years. By this rule, the average number of days per year will be 365 + 1/4 − 1/100 + 1/400 = 365.2425, which is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds. Now, this still isn't exact with 365.242374, but it's close enough.

It means that the marginal difference of 0.000125 days between the Gregorian calendar year and the actual year will result in us being behind by 1 day every 8,000 years. The current method works for practical purposes and there was a correction suggested by John Herschel making every 4,000 years a non-leap year. However, there are other factors at play here including that the earth's revolution is slowing slightly, so this may not actually be necessary.

So, just to sum up:

How to calculate Leap Years

In the Gregorian calendar, the following 3 criteria must be met to be a leap year:

• The year is evenly divisible by 4;
• If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless;
• The year is also evenly divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

Who invented Leap Years?

Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years in the Roman empire over 2000 years ago. However, back then, they used the Julian calendar and they followed a more simple rule of using any year that was evenly divided by 4. This led to too many leap years and the issue was not rectified until around 1500 years later

Celebrity Leap Day birthdays

• 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
• 1792 – Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer (William Tell, The Barber of Seville) (d. 1868)
• 1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
• 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
• 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, former president of El Salvador
• 1960 – Anthony (Tony) Robbins, American motivational speaker
• 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian hockey player
• 1980 – Chris Conley, American musician and songwriter/composer

People born on February 29 are all invited to join The Honor society of Leap Year Day Babies.

Leap Year February 29, 2012 - Why do we have leap year and how is it calculated?

Are you looking to sand and refinish hardwood floors in Chappaqua NY?

It's amazing what a difference refinishing your hardwood flooring can make. Your floors will look brand new and you even have the option to change the color. You can go light, dark, mid tones, or red tones. It can really give your home (or room) a whole new look.

If you have hardwood underneath your carpets, we can restore the beauty of the hardwood underneath. It's amazing what a big difference this can make in your home. And, believe it or not, it is usually less expensive to refinish your floors than to recarpet. Refinishing your wood floors will also improve your home's value and it will be easier to clean and maintain.

At Floor Coverings International, we are a shop at home service. We will bring the "store to your door" so that you can see the flooring and colors in your own home and lighting and color coordinate with your paint colors and decor. When it comes to sanding and refinishing, not only we will help guide you in color selections, but we will also test out a few colors for you on your floor. This is important because every floor is different, so it's best to see what the stain will actually look like on your own floors (rather than a tiny sample).

We offer both the standard refinishing process as well as a dustless sanding system. Dustless sanding costs a bit extra, but many customers feel it's worth it, especially if they have someone with allergies in their household. We offer both oil and water based polyurethane, and we will help you understand the pros and cons on each method.

We are proud of our work, but don't rely on our word...ask our customers! We have won the Angie's list Super Service award 2 years in a row, and you can even check our google reviews online. And, we will gladly provide with a list of over 30 customers to call.

Video of hardwood flooring and refinishing Chappaqua NY 10514

Our estimates are always free. So, when you're ready to refinish your hardwood floors in Chappaqua NY 10514, call us at 914-937-2950 and let us "bring the store to your door."

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Refinish hardwood flooring | Chappaqua NY 10514 | Dustless sanding

I'm Debbie Grieco, one of the owners at Aqueduct Services, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

Even with the temperatures much higher than usual for this time of year in Chappaqua, NY. It is still too cold to open our windows to let the fresh air in.

The indoor air polution in a persons home may be two to five times higher than the outdoor air per EPA studies.

That is because the indoor air is recycled day after day, month after month trapping dust, pollen, pet dander, mold and much, much more.

Indoor air pollutants can give you the syptoms like having the flu such as headaches, nausea and respiratory irritation.

Indoor air pollutants can also aggravate a child or adult asthma and/or allergies.

An indoor air cleaner can remove pollutants that can cause numerous health related problems.

With an air cleaner the air smells fresher and creates a healthy environment for all.

Contact your heating specialist or HVAC company to find the right air cleaner for you and your home.

Aqueduct Services Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

www.Aqueductservices.com

115 Wall Street

Valhalla, NY 10595

For the third time in the past 4 weeks, I have been contacted by a buyer who chose to call me directly instead of having their agent call me because their offer was not accepted. In each case, I have told the agent-and the buyer when they called- that I'd be happy to know what comparable sale they used to justify their price. In each case, I have heard the same thing in lieu of any other fact: It is a buyer's market.

This is what I wrote earlier this week on the "buyer's market:"

the "buyer's market" phrase was thrown around as if it were some childhood game wildcard phrase that granted immunity from logic or true market forces.

In other words, there were no other sales they could use to justify their price- it was just a speculative pipe dream.

One of the properties we are dealing with is a condominium in Chappaqua in the Old Farm Lake complex. Even though the 4th quarter of 2011 was not good and prices across the Westchester market were down about 5% from last year, the condominium market in Chappaqua is actually up. Here are some facts:

• In 2009, the median price of a condo in Chappaqua was $453,000.
• In 2010, the median price of a condo in Chappaqua was $467,000.
• In 2011, the median price of a condo in Chappaqua was $505,000.

Advanced Green Building Products

"Why Build With Anything Else?"

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Our proprietary line of interior and exterior structural sheathing products are a new class of environmentally-friendly products made from a proprietary formulation of Magnesium-Oxide (MgO) and other inert minerals. Our unique manufacturing process utilizes innovative technology to create a superior board that's quickly defining the future of Green building products and materials. Here's why: Contractor-Friendly Fire Resistant Mold Resistant Water Resistant Insect Resistant

TurtleBoard™ Advanced Structural Sheathing Material and Green Alternative to Sheetrock and OSB

Innovation

TurtleBoard™ products were developed by building science engineers, industrial hygienists, indoor air quality and construction experts with over 200 years of hands on experience, who focused their energy and resources on a proprietary product that is poised to revolutionize the category of building products known as fiber cement board. This game changing building solution features a hybrid formulation of magnesium oxide cement as a replacement for the traditional Portland cement found in most fiber cement boards.

TurtleBoard™ was developed for interior and exterior applications, as well as backer board for tile installations. Both products are designed to compete directly with Portland cement-based trim, OSB, Sheetrock, and backer boards in the areas of durability and performance.

• TurtleBoard™ products are the Green alternative for Sheetrock, Drywall and OSB

• Gypsum-free, non-toxic advanced magnesium cement replaces Portland cement

• Reinforcing vitreous fibers used in place of conventional cellulose/wood fibers · Manufacturing technologies driven by leading-edge US patented formulas

• 8 times faster job site installation time over traditional methods

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• Excels as a foundation/curtain wall
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Through our philosophy of Balanced Green Building, , TurtleBoard™ seeks to deliver a balanced and comprehensive approach to real issues, not a rush to claim "green labels". The result is a product offering that provides sensible solutions and has the following eco-friendly features:

• Negative Carbon Footprint

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• 40% less energy is required to manufacture TurtleBoard™ vs. Portland cement-based boards

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