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   <title>On The Level</title>
   <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/</link>
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   <description>Bob Vila has long been a trusted expert in home renovations and upgrades. Our home improvement blog On the Level keeps you informed on the products and trends that we see in the field. At On the Level, staff from BobVila.com post their views on what's new and newsworthy in home gadgets, tools, and trends.</description>
   <language>en-us</language>
   <pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:56:04 GMT</pubDate>
   <lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:56:04 GMT</lastBuildDate>
   <copyright>Copyright BobVila.com 2006</copyright>
   <ttl>5</ttl>

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    <title>On The Level</title> 
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      <item>
    <title>Go With Generic Garbage Bags?</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Go-With-Generic-Garbage-Bags--4071.html</link>
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    <description>
     <![CDATA[A common saying around here is "Only a rich man can afford to buy cheap tools." And the folks over at The Simple Dollar seem to have embraced this idea with their endorsement of buying quality garbage bags over cheaper generics. The article runs through the economics of the situation accounting for bag breakage and time lost cleaning up the mess. It makes sense to us. What do you think?]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Go-With-Generic-Garbage-Bags--4071.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Lawn and Garden Money-Saving Tips</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Lawn-and-Garden-Money-Saving-Tips-4070.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Lawn-and-Garden-Money-Saving-Tips-4070.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Cutting costs does not necessarily mean letting your garden go to seed. The Mercury News has a list of money-saving tips to keep your garden beautiful and affordable. Among the suggestions:  Plant perennials instead of annuals.  Don't bag lawn clippings, just leave them in your yard.  Select drought-resistant plants to use less water  Cut back on water use and don't overwater.
You might also want to read our articles on ways to save water in your garden  and growing your own vegetables.]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Lawn-and-Garden-Money-Saving-Tips-4070.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Tree Shaping</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Tree-Shaping-4069.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Tree-Shaping-4069.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[It all started with an idea Peter Cook had in 1987, "I wonder if I can grow a chair." But it wasn't until 1996 that he mastered the technique and his trees, known as "Pooktre", were born. It's a slow process but it's produced some amazing results. The chair on left was planted in 1998 and the photo was taken in 2008, clearly a labor of love. You can see photos of his work, including tables, chairs, mirror stands, and other designs, on the Pooktre website.]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Tree-Shaping-4069.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Seven Green Celebrity Homes</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Seven-Green-Celebrity-Homes-4068.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Seven-Green-Celebrity-Homes-4068.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[With their enormous size and various luxuries, Hollywood homes may not be the world's most eco-friendly designs. But Treehugger has found seven celebrity homes that buck the trend and go green. The list includes Johnny Depp, Daryl Hannah, Julia Roberts and, of course, Ed Begley. Various green technologies are noted in the article, including a retractable roof in Julia Louis-Dreyfus's home. Also noted is the off-grid home being built by Tricia Helfer. You can follow its construction on her ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Seven-Green-Celebrity-Homes-4068.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Taking Up the Pen</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Taking-Up-the-Pen-4067.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Taking-Up-the-Pen-4067.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Bob took a recent diversion from building houses to building relations between the U.S. and Cuba with this op-ed piece he co-authored in the Boston Globe. The article is written on behalf of The Finca Vigia Foundation, a group he co-chairs in the Boston area that works "with the Cuban government to preserve Ernest Hemingway's literary legacy in that island nation." Through the foundation's work, over 3,000 documents have been archived and American technical teams have assisted in the ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Taking-Up-the-Pen-4067.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Green My House</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Green-My-House-4062.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Green-My-House-4062.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Want to make your home more eco-friendly but don't know where to begin? Some homeowners are turning to environmental consultants for guidance on the issue, according to this article in the New York Times. For a fee, the consultants look over the person's home and lifestyle and offer a list of recommendations from installing low-flow shower heads to paying extra for wind power from the local utility to composting food scraps. Some liked the experience. "This is specific to us," said homeowner ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Green-My-House-4062.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a high-altitude wind turbine!</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/It-s-a-bird-It-s-a-plane-No-it-s-a-high-altitude-wind-turbine--4066.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/It-s-a-bird-It-s-a-plane-No-it-s-a-high-altitude-wind-turbine--4066.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[I love ingenuity. Especially some around the subject of energy. Well, Carnegie Institution for Science and California State University have done just that by identifying New York as a prime location for exploiting high-altitude winds using kite-like turbines. Tethered to the earth, these turbine systems would fly near the jet streams, approximately 30,000 feet above the earth, and send back over 10 times the amount of power than conventional land turbines provide. This just might be the ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Trey)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/It-s-a-bird-It-s-a-plane-No-it-s-a-high-altitude-wind-turbine--4066.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Get it Sold</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Get-it-Sold-4065.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Get-it-Sold-4065.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[The new $8,000 federal tax credit is spurring some people on to take the plunge and become first time home buyers. From the Wall Street Journal comes some sound advice on making your property more attractive to these newbie purchasers. The article points out one thing working in home sellers' favor is that their home with its lived-in feel, if freshened up and properly staged, has more appeal than a hollowed-out foreclosure property. Other suggestions include offering to help with closing ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Get-it-Sold-4065.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>If It Sounds Too Good To Be True...</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/If-It-Sounds-Too-Good-To-Be-True--4064.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/If-It-Sounds-Too-Good-To-Be-True--4064.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Beware those who promise to rescue you from foreclosure for an upfront fee. These "loan modification companies" suggest they will act as a third party between the homeowner and the loan issuer and, very often, do no such thing. "There is simply no reason to pay for this service," warns Michelle Jones, senior vice president of counseling for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta. Recently the New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, announced he was suing one company, ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/If-It-Sounds-Too-Good-To-Be-True--4064.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Safer, Smarter Outlets-EFCI</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Safer-Smarter-Outlets-EFCI-4059.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Safer-Smarter-Outlets-EFCI-4059.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Electricity technology hasn't really changed that much over the last 100 years. In fact the idea originally pioneered from Thomas Alva Edison for the breakers are pretty much identical today. With that said, isn't it time for some fresh ideas? The majority of all electrical fires in homes happen at the outlet with a device that isn't preforming properly. A simple new elegant idea has surfaced thanks to John La Grou, a long-time electronics inventor, audio designer and entrepreneur, who wants ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Trey)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Safer-Smarter-Outlets-EFCI-4059.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:25:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>12 California Classics</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/12-California-Classics-4063.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/12-California-Classics-4063.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[It's a house you may have seen in movies and magazines - the Stahl House by architect Pierre Koenig remains a fixture in the Hollywood Hills. And it's one of the 12 homes reviewed in this article from CA-Modern Magazine about classic California steel homes. Historically, steel construction was part of a movement to build houses that were easy to construct and maintain. Arguably not the ideal medium but the article explains how architects cleverly used the material to meet the homeowners' ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/12-California-Classics-4063.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:15:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Measure Twice</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Measure-Twice-4061.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Measure-Twice-4061.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Attention, demolition crews! When summoned to demolish a house, don't rely on GPS coordinates. And be sure to contact the owner. You'd think this would be standard protocol, but apparently one crew in Carroll County, Georgia did not follow this procedure and wound up leveling the wrong house. Homeowner Al Byrd lost the home, built by his father with his own hands, where he was raised with his nine brothers and sisters. It is believed the targeted house was the one across the street. Next up, ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Measure-Twice-4061.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Making Concrete..Stronger?</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Making-Concrete-Stronger--4060.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Making-Concrete-Stronger--4060.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[A researcher at MIT has devised something that may have a profound impact on the building industry - concrete that can last up to 16,000 years. The so-called "ultra-high-density" concrete is the result of 20 years of research that included examining the material on a nano-scale. By studying the forces that gradually cause concrete to deform (called "concrete creep"), researcher Franz-Josef Ulm identified a new manufacturing process that packs the components of concrete more closely together, ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Making-Concrete-Stronger--4060.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Not Your Typical Homeless Shelter</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Not-Your-Typical-Homeless-Shelter-4056.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Not-Your-Typical-Homeless-Shelter-4056.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[While the housing crisis has a lot of people hurting, there have been some beneficiaries. In this case, the homeless. The city of Brooklyn is now renting several luxury condos that failed to sell for use as a homeless shelter. The units come complete with granite countertops, terraces and walk-in closets. Newly arrived residents are thrilled with the arrangement. "It's the nicest place I've ever lived in," said one. But some neighbors are less than thrilled. "I'm a hardworking taxpayer, and ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Not-Your-Typical-Homeless-Shelter-4056.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
   </item>
      <item>
    <title>Warranty for Granite Countertops</title>
    <link>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Warranty-for-Granite-Countertops-4055.html</link>
    <guid>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Warranty-for-Granite-Countertops-4055.html</guid>
    <description>
     <![CDATA[Have your heart set on granite countertops but need to convince yourself that it's a good investment for the long haul? Well, maybe this lifetime warranty from Artisan Group, an independent organization of premier countertop fabricators, will make the difference. Every Artisan Stone Collection® countertop is sealed with the group's exclusive Firstline®Sealer providing state-of-the-art stain protection technology and carries the industry's first lifetime warranty. "This new warranty offers ...]]>
    </description>
    <author>blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)</author>
	 <comments>http://www.bobvila.com/OnTheLevel/Warranty-for-Granite-Countertops-4055.html</comments>
    <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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